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CRUISE 



REVENUE-STEAMER CORWIN 



ALASKA AND TH£ N. W. ARCTIC OCEAN 



18 8 1 






NOTES AND MEMORANDA: MKDIOAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL; 
BOTANICAL ; ORNITHOLOGICAL. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVEENMKNT PKINTING OFFICE. 

1883. 









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Theasury Department, 
Document No. 429. 
Secretary — R. M. 



L E T T E E 



THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY. 



IN EESPONSE TO 



A resolution of the House of Representatives transmitting the observations and notes made during the 
cruise of the revenue-cutter Corwin in 1881. 



Maech 3, 1883. — Referred to the Committee on Commerce and ordered to be printed. 



Treasury Department, March 3, 1883. 
Sib: I have the honor to acknowledge the reoeipt of resolution of the House, dated March 3, 
1883, requesting that the Secretary of the Treasury furnish, as soon as convenient, to the Speaker 
of the House copies of documents in the possession of the Treasury Department containing obser- 
vationb on glaciation, birds, natural history, and the medical notes made upon cruises of revenue- 
cutters in the year 1881. 

In reply, I transmit herewith the observatiou.s on glaciation in the Arctic Ocean and the Alaska 
region, made by Mr. John Muir; notes upon the birds and natural history of Bering Sea and the 
northwestern region, by Mr. E. W. -Nelson; and medical notes and anthropological notes relating 
to the natives of Alaska and the northwestern Arctic region, made by Dr. Irving 0. Rosse. 
All these notes were made upon the cruise of the revenue-cutter Corwin in 1881. 
Very respectfully, 

H. P. FRENCH, 

Acting Secretary. 
Hon. J. W. K^iFEB, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

(3) 



MEDICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES ON ALASKA. 



IPt^IlS^a C. ROSSE, M. D. 



(5) 



MEDICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES. 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 

Washington, April 29, 1882. 
Sir : I hav^e the liouor to trausmit herewith a copy of medical and anthropological notes of the 
cruise of the revenue-cutter Oorwin to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. 
Very respectfolly, your obedient servant, 

lEVDSTG 0. EOSSE, M. D. 

{Through Revenue Marine.) 
The Hon. Secretary of the Treasury. 

(7) 



MEDICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES. 



GENERAL, NOTES. 

For the man of broad ideas and entlmsiasm for hiuiiauity, more especially for the medical 
man, there exists but one jieopie, namely, the human race, wliich he studies in all its varieties, physical 
and moral, in order not to hesitate, according to the expression of Hippocrates, in the treatment of 
disease. Experience and observation show, however, that no wide difterences exist in the race 
when regarded from a biological or a medical aspect; and the infirmities of men, notwithstanding 
tiieir pliysical inequalities and tlie extended range of the nosological table, are much the same the 
world over, no matter whetlier they be classitied as belonging to the Caucasian, Mongolian, or 
IIy])erborean races. 

The object of this paper is to record, in a fragmentary way, some observations, as they have 
occurred to the writer during a late hyperborean experience, which afforded exceptional advan- 
tages for noting a few of the clianges and variations that are brought about in the human economy 
by climatic influences and tlie environments of high latitudes— by the surroundings, in fact, of that 
part of the earth wliich Hippocrates places under the constellation of the Bear and beyond the 
Riphi«an Mountains whence blows the north wind, and where the sun, says he, is near them only 
in the summer solstice, but warms these places only a short time ; the winds which blow from warm 
countries reaching there but seldom and with little force. 

These simple, true, and philosophical observations of the "divine old man," it may be remarked, 
are in striking contrast to those of Tacitus, who indulges in tlie usual mixture of true and false 
which fills the pages of the ancients when treating of geographical subjects. 

Whether the early Greek conception of the people living beyond the north wind and giving rise 
to the Delian legends was based on any geographical relations at all, or was originally the myth- 
ical notion of the poets relative to an imaginary race, it is difficult to say— the question only raising 
a doubt that places us in a dilemma. Tabulous or not, we know that the subject was one of pop- 
ular interest in high antiquity, giving rise to a work on the Hyperboreans in the time of Alexander 
the Great, and that when Virgil and Horace speak of the "Hyperboreaj one" and " Hyperborei 
campi" to indicate most northerly, they only made use of expressions which have served as con- 
necting links in literature to extend the interest from the epoch of Hecafjeus of Abdera down to 
the days of Mr. James Gordon Bennett. 

Among the numerous historic men who have sought adveuture in this most weird, remote, 
and wonderful part of the globe from the early times of Naddod the Viking and Garder, down to 
Markham and De Long, we hear such tales of privation, disease, and suft'ering that the wonder 
is that men should still see about the mysterious regions of the north so much that is fascinating 
and romantic. But as tlie subject is not to be treated from a sentimental or an esthetic point of 
view, these prefatory remarks must yield to considerations of a more practical and commonplace 
character. 

THE VOYAGE. 

In obedience to instructions I proceeded overland to San Francisco, Cal. ; and after an unavoid. 
able delay of several days from irregularities of railway travel, which had been interrupted by the 
floods of the Missouri-Mississijipi River, I joined the Arctic Kelief steamer Corwin on May 2. An 
inspection showed the Corwin to be in good sanitary condition with the exception of imperfect 
ventilation of the berth-deck and ward-room, the means for furnishing air to these overcrowded 
apartments being inadequate to supply every occupant with the twenty cubic feet of fresh air 
every minute which the best authorities agree tliat a healtliy man rcciuires. The in.saiubrity of the 

(9) 

H. Ex. 105 2 



10 CRUISE OF STEAMER C JRWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 

berth-deck was further increased by the liHiuidit.v brought ahout l)y tlie habit of dehigiuj;; the decks 
above and below every inoniing with water. At my suguestioii this very reprehensible jmictice 
was hai)]iily abolislied on tlie bertlideck. scraping and dry scrruhbing being substituted, and the 
deck was n<it wetted oftener than once or twice a inonth. an<l only at times wlten tlie i)revah'iice of 
tine weathei- wouhl Justify doing so. 

After procuring siicli a medical outtit as the exigencies of the cruise might require, and aftei- 
taking the necessary prec^autions as to the hygienic condition of the vessel and crew, we .started on 
our humane mission, putting to sea on May 4 and meeting with seven or eight uneventtnl days of 
pleasant weather, exceptionally so for the .season. The ocean, somewhat deserving of the adjective 
that designates it, displayed its prettitist combinations of lajiis lazuli antl ultramarine tints and 
sun.set effects as we steamed through miles of niedusidie; and hatl it not been for the occasional 
sight of whales and little black divers, with the daily fall in the thei-mometer, we should not have 
known of our ai)proacli to the north. This liapi)y stat<^ of affairs did not (jontinue long on reaching 
a higher latitude, where we were beset by pelting hail and furious storms of snow and all the 
discomforts of sea life, causing a penihl^ navigation in every sense of the term. The intireased 
cold, as we neared the north, had no ])er(!eptible effect for the worse on the health of the shii)'s 
company; an<l it is gratifving to state that but few serious cases, either surgical or medical, 
occurred during the entire voyage, a ha|)py event, undoubtedly owing to the careful precantionary 
measures taken to secure full etticiency and to the excellent routine and discipline. 

The Corwin is a good sea vessel, being tolerably dry in bad weather, and her oscillations are 
easy for a small craft. At the outset of the cruise, however, we were placed in the bc^st ))ossible 
conditions for studying l)oth subjectively and objecti\ely the strange iilienoniena of that doleful 
tribute of suffering that so many people are oblige<l to pay to the .sea. rnfortnnately .so little is 
known of the nature and origin of this most distressing attecrtion, and medical science has done so 
little to assuage its attacks, the wonder is that more extended experiments are not made by medical 
men in I'egard to seasickness. In spite of many theories and hypotheses that have been advanced 
to explain the i)henomena of this so-called disease, we know that its causes are ]>urcly physiciil ; 
the swinging of the diaphragm, the disturban(!e of the ('(piilibriuni in the Hiiid contents of the 
body — ijust as the mercury i)umps up and down in a baroineler — and the consequent reflex impres- 
sibility of the ganglionic, i)neumogastric. and cerebro-.spinal .system of nerves pi'oducing a kind of 
tri.splanchnic neurosis, whi<'h varies in different individuals JM'.eording to peculiarity of .structure 
and susceptibility. 

Experience conviiKies that no drug known to the pharmacoptBia will i)revent or cure .seasick- 
ness, notwithstanding the asseitions of eminent medical authority to the contrary. Resolute effort 
of the will and the resort to such palliatives as drinks containing an excess of carbon dioxide, 
iced champagne and liottled Milwaukee beer f(«- example, and oranges, were found to be the 
most etHcacious modes of treatment adopted in the numerous cases of this almost unmitigated 
evil coining under my observation. 

A portion of the <!rew suffered from violent phlegmon of the hand, arising doubtless from the 
combined intluences of long confinement on sliijtboard, .sea diet, and unusual climatic (Conditions. 
This affection was not confined to our ves.sel alone, for it prevailed extensively among the whale 
men as well. The wor.st cases occurred among men whose history revealed the previous existence 
of syphilis. To remedy the condition it was recommended that the entire shi|vs company be 
allowed a run ashore as often as practicable, and that there be addeil to the usual dietary a ration 
of cranberries, a supply of which had been laid in among other antiscorbutics. Happily, these 
directions were comi)lied with as far as possible, and I had the satisfaction to witness the good 
results. 

Another affection prevailing extensively among the (^rew was a cutaneous eruption attended by 
excessive itching, which I at first susi)ected to be due to the presence of pedicnli ; but subsequent 
experience showed that temporary alleviation could be brought al)0ut by the administration of 
calcined magnesia and the topii-al application of vinegar and water. 1 may mention incidentally 
that my friend Dr. Charles Smart, IT. S. A., who has cruised in the Arctic as far as latitude 82° on 
a Peterhead whaleman, says that he has often noticed the foregoing symptoms in connection with 
rheumatism among sailors, and also among soldiers in Arizona, who had been Uviug for some time 



CRUISE OF STEAMER COKWIN 1>T THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 1 1 

on thd army ration. He regards the .syinptoiiis to arise from inanition, and as the ones that nsnally 
precede an outbreaii of scurvy. 

A few cases of return of iiitciinit»eiit fever lyroufjht about Ity wet anil fatigue, and of rheuma- 
tism — which seenuid to l)e the pre\ ailing aihneut — the usual cpiota of headaches, constipation, and 
i'olic. with several cases of minor surgery, aud a few cases of venereal contracted at Ounalaaka. 
make uj) the sick-list so far as the crew i>roper is concerned. 

It may not be foreign to tlie subject tx) remark that the sanitary condition of the Corwin, and 
indeed of other vessels in the revenue service, might be greatly improved l)y covering the berth-deck 
with a coating of shellac; and better ventilation might be secureil by an arrangement similar to 
that found on the latest English naval vessels, where a tlue passes up through the side of the ship 
until it opens just beneath the hammock-rail on the inside of the bulwarks, and is covered with a 
Venetian blind. Further advantage, especially in the way of lighting, would result from larger 
air-ports having a glass, convex externally and prismoidal on its inner surface, in oider to facilitate 
the disper.siou of light when the port is closed. The galley situated on the berth-deck of the 
(Jorwin was the source of ex(;essive condensation and ilrip, which was always inci'eased in the 
morning by shutting a small skylight when washing down decks; a proceeding seemingly incon- 
sistent with enlightened common sense, especially when the docks have been wet the whole 
previous twenty-four hours from rain or the seas washing over them. The nuisance was in a 
measure abated by wiping the beams overhead and lighting a tire in a drying stove. 

The facilities for warming were good throughout the ship, and the water sui)i)ly was perhaps 
better than usual, owing to the fact that the water in the Arctic contains l)ut a small percentage 
of organic or earthy iini)urities. At Ounalaska water was obtained from a small reservoir in an 
adjacent hill, bnt it had an unpleasant earthy taste. Better water was had at Saint Michael's 
Here a s|)ring wells up amid some rocks on the sea beach, and at low tide water may be obtained 
with great facility, (iood water was procured nearly everywhere in the Arctic, notably at 
("hamisso Island and Choris Peninsula, and it was of unusual excellence at Cape Thomi)son. 
also at Herald and Wrangel Islands. Distilled water, supplied by the engineers, was occasionally 
used during the cruise, but as it was condensed from the main boiler without filtration it had 
that peculiar nauseating, oily tiavor which rendered it unfit for potable pnrpo.ses. 

The articles of food, consisting of the regular rations, to which had been added ])emmican and 
tln^ usual antiscorbutics, such as potatoes, desiccated onions, sauerkraut, and cranberries, were of 
good ([lalify and kept leniarkably well, some butter iu barrels being as good on (nir return as on 
the day we left. Frequent o])i)ortuuities also occurred to get fish and game, the ration being varied 
from time to time with salmon and coregonus, auks, eider-dncks. geese, eggs (of which great (pian- 
tities were found on the Diomede Islands), seal, bear, and reimleer. The.se supplementary articles 
proved not only an ai)petizing change from the regular ration, but their use was followed by a sense 
of well-being and by imi>ro\e<l nutrition. 

The ordinary clothing was supi)lemented with a hooded coat of reindeer skin, .seal skin trousers, 
and a foot covering similar to that worn by the Eskimo. Over an ordinary pair of stockings were 
drawn a pair of reindeer socks, with the hair turned in, the foot being next thrust into an Bskimo 
boot of seal skin, iutt) the bottom of which a small quantity of straw was jilaccd as a non-conductor, 
ami the whole secure<l by thongs after the manner of a sandal. This rig answered the purposes 
of warmth an<l t-omfort : bnt the effect was anything but picturesque, as the foot resembled a 
disabled extremity that some bungling hospital nurse had endeavored to inclose in a poultice. 

Beyond the mcte<n'ologi(ral summary obtained from the signal station at Saint Michael's, there 
are no extended weather observations to repcu't in regard to any fixed geograi)hicaI ])oint, for the 
reason that the shij) seldom remained longer than a few days at a time in any one place, and it was 
im|>ossible to get any definite information from the natives, whose knowledge in this respect does 
not extend beyond noticing wlu^thei- the snowfall is gr<!at or little during the winter. 

As regartls the weather during the i)ast season there is a marked contrast when contpared to 
that experienced on the Corwin's former voyage. The sea was freer from ice, a fact doubtless 
owing to the preceding mild winter aud other (loncurrent causes, but the number of fine days was 
con)i)aratively few. and a series of gales and snow storms continued throughout the summer. lOven 
as late as July is ||ii- ilecks were coveretl wnth snow and hail, and a bitter cold wind penetrated 



12 CKIMSK OF STEAMER COItWIN IN THK AHCTIi.; OCEAN. 

oiir wiiiU'i clotliiiis. In stiikiii};- oi)i>ositiou to this \v;is the iiiicoiiifoitably iiuiiky ti'mi>t'iat»iie of 
July 21, when the theriiioineter registered 45°. While the above is true of the weather in the more 
northern part of the Arctic, we found it in Kotzebue Sound, later in the season, ninch milder than 
it was at a correspond inf; date of the jirevious year. In the latter i)art of -lune at Saint Micliael's 
we found the sun almost overpowering;, although the thermometer registered but G()o. Why this 
incongruity should exist between the sensation of heat as experienced by the human body and the 
actual temperature as revealed by the thermometer, we are not prepared to say. All that we know 
from writers on the subject is that the sensations of heat and cold are relative and not absolute. 
In dilferent latitudes, among the Andes in Peru, for instance, the opposite condition is often 
noticed, a disagreeable sensation of cold not indicated by the thermometer being one of the 
experiences of travelers in that part of the world: the cold is keen and penetrating with the 
thermometer standing at but (iO°. An excellent distinction is that which mentions these 
jthenomena as i)hysical cold and physiological cold; the former indicating that revealed by the 
thermometer, the latter that not indicated by instruments. 

Many Arctic travellers have noticed this relative sensation of cold as well as the impunity, and 
even a certain degree of comfort, with which they can exjtose themselves to a low temperature, 
which would be attended by serious results in a more southern dinu'. Dr. Ilayes relates that in 
Greenland he went swimming in a i)Ool of water on the top of an iceberg, and the captain of a New 
Bedford whaler has fre<iuently gone swimming off the coast of Siberia. Taking advantage of 
one of these physiologically warm days, I took a plunge into the icy Arctic water, with no such 
motive, however, as that of Leander, nor did I, like Byron, have the ague after it ; on the contrary, 
a swim of no great discomfort was followed by a pleasnral)le reaction. 

The actual rise of temperature that follows upon stripping in a cold atmosphere or ui)on first 
entering into a cold bath, is not one of the least curious phenomena of the regulative function of the 
pyrogenetic mechanism. Nor is the busy activity of the metabolic tissues and the metabolism of 
the food within the alimentary canal, which accounts for the source of the heat of such honiother- 
mous animals as whales, seals, walrus, and the pygopodous birds, a subject to be passed by 
unmentioned. By what physical and chemical laws can we explain this mori>liological process— 
this physiological action of the protoplasm resulting in the evolution of kinetic energy sutticient to 
supply bodily heat to such animals as the seal and the whale, an^ enable them by remarkable 
adaptability to withstand the extreme cold of the Arctic? Does the retc mirihilia of the whale and 
of the duck enable them to combine a greater quantity of oxygen with ha'moglobin and thereby 
act as a source of heat, or is the function of the liver the chief thermogenic source? By what 
means does the energy-yielding material become changed into actual energy ? Dot^s the nervous 
system, acting as a liberating force like the throttle-valve in a steam-engine, remove hinderauces 
or im|>ediments to the conversion of potential into kinetic energy, or do all the internal M(«-k of 
the animal organism, all the mechanical labor of the internal muscular mechanism, with their 
accompanying frictions, and the molecular labor of the nervous and other tissues produce a 
certain amount of heat, and thus account for the s)>ecial function of calorificatiou ? 

The foregoing physiological cpieries, with many others, suggested themselves on hearing the 
statements of whalemen and walrus hunters with reference to the scalding, sensation produced 
by the spurting blood while handling the bodies of recently kijled animals, and it occurred to 
me that a series of thernu)metric observations, something after the manner of the experiments 
of Dr. Kidder in connection with the Fish ('ommission, but having for their object the investigation 
of the manifestation of animal heat by the marine mammalia, would prove interesting a lul sn|)ply a 
scientitic desideiatuni in addition to their novelty. 

While ample (ipi>i)rtunities occurred to make these exiieriments, yet it is to be legretted that the 
only available instrument, a clinical thermometer, was unfortunately broken early in the season. 
The ex])eriinents were, to say the least, so rough and inconclusive that any I'ecord of them would 
be of questionable value. 

Another (piestion in connection with the Arctic cold is, whether a sojourn in this region does not 
render one more susceptible to colds and disorders of the resi»irati)ry organs on returning to more 
temperate latitudes. The history of Eskimo who have spent any time in our comitaratively moder- 
ate climate shows how lliey lia\e sulVercd in this respect, and colds have been know n to prevail 



(JKUISE OF STKAMER CUliWlN IN THK AI{(!T1(J OCEAN. 13 

cinlcuiically anions' tlio healthy crews of vessels lately arrived from the Arctic. It is relatetl of a 
ship of the Franklin Search Plxpedition, the North Star, which was frozen uj) (luring one of the 
severest Arctic winters on record, in Wostenliolni Sound, that the men maintained their health 
perfectly during all the trials to which they were exposed ; but on their return to England in the 
early summer, every man within a week was on the sick list with some form of Itronchial or 
l)Hlmonary disorder. The reporter assigns the shaving off the beard as the cause of this illness. 
On board the Corwin on her return to San Francisco in October, and at a time, too, when " the 
glorious climate of California" appeared at its best, no such cause existed, yet colds of tiie most 
violent kind prevailed generally among a previously healthy crew. 

Before dropping the question, it may be asked whether the psychical effects of climate were not 
apparent in some of the subjective sensations as experienced by myself and others. Something 
moi'e than auditory spectra must account for some of them. 

For instance, when climbing a steep cliff, with no sound tointerrui)t except the scream of wild 
sea-birds, or ascending a mountain side amid scenery the most desolate that can well be conceived, 
and in a stillness so great that the arterial pulsations are audible, how is it that certain trains of 
the most incongruous and absurd thoughts usurp a prominence in the mind ? On such an occasion, 
why should the strains from wedding-marches be continually running through one's head? What 
gives birth to the floating succession of ideas regarding the delighis of prospective dinners ? And 
why does the presence of the midnight sun cause one to forget, like Horace Greeley, whether one 
has dined or not? While navigating through ice and fog, often within sight of a coast that is 
treeless and svvardless, why should one dream of the laughing aspect of tropical vegetation, and 
of swinging in a hammock in a garden through which the summer wind bears the fragrance of 
flowers ? And why should a diet of pork and beans cause a man during a series of nights to dream 
of sumptuous dinners, and at other times in his dreams to take part in a Barmicidal feast? 

Among various meteorological phenomena witnessed during the cruise were parhelias and fog 
bows, which were of common occurrence ott' Wrangel Island ; and toward the latter jiart of our 
stay in the Arctic, when the sun was no longer in the summer solstice, northern lights of varying 
intensity appeared, a peculiarity about one of them being a white arc extending across the heavens 
and accompanied by curtain-like fringes of light. 

Not the least curious of the atmos]iheric phenomena are the modittcations of nervous excitability 
in connection with the i)ei'ception of light — the wonderful optical illusions witnessed from time to 
time during i)enods of extraordinary and uneciual refraction. One day in July, at Saint Michael's, 
I saw on looking northward an island high up in the air and inverted; some distant ]ieaks, invisible 
on ordinary occasions, loomed up at one time the very shape of a tower-topped building magnified, 
and suddenly changing assumed the shape of innnense factory chimneys. Again, ott' Port Clarence, 
was witnessed the optical ])heJiomenon of dancing mountains and the mirage of ice fifty miles 
away, which caused our experienced ice pilot to say, " No use to go in here ; don't you see the ice ?" 
Again, the mountains of Bering Straits have so betrayed the imagination that they have been seen 
to assume the most fantastical and grotesque shapes, at one moment that of a mountain not unlike 
Table Mountain, off the Cape of Good Hope ; then the changing diorama shows the shape of an 
immense anvil, followed by the likeness of an enormous gun mounted en barbette, the whole stand- 
ing out in silhouette against the background, while looking in an opposite direction at another time 
a whaling vessel turned bottom upward appeared in the sky. On another occasion, in latitude 70o, 
when the state of the air was favorable to extraordinary refraction, a white gull swimming on the 
water in the distant horizon was taken for an iceberg, or more correctly a floeberg, other gulls in 
the distance, looming up, lookeil for all the world like white tents on a beach, while others resem- 
bled men with white shirts paddling a canoe. Again, two whaling ships that we knew to be sixty 
miles away, appeared on the distant sky as elongated afternoon shadows ; minute stones and other 
small objects on a mountain side were so distinctly seen as to cause almost a glamour, a kind of 
witchery, to come over the eyesight, which, if there were no evidence to the contrary, might have 
been taken as one of the hallucinations that ])recede certain forms of insanity, where, for examjile, 
the sense of sight beccnnes so acute that a person reads a newspai)er or tells the time of day from 
a snnill watch, on the op|)osite side of the street. Odd phenomena were occasionally witnessed 
while looking at the midnight sun, especially when he began to get low in tiie horizon. His disk 



14 CRUISE OF STEAMER COHWIN IX THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

would soiuotiuies appear liatN'iieil liki- a (loor-kiiol), or to coua ey a luoiv sensuous image, like a 
huge crimson pegtop with purple bamls. It was easy, also, to distiuguisli l>y lueauH of a marine 
glass the solar 8i»ots, thv eye not being ovi-i wbeltned by the light but readily a<!coininodating itself 
to the rays of the suinniersun, wiiicii, owing to his lowdeuliiiation, ai-e nowhere so delicate as they 
are iu the far north. 

Some of the strange acoustics expiTien<;ed in this region are not unwortliy of mentiou. A 
reuuukabie multiple echo was noticed biitwcen two mountains at I Mover l>ay,Sil)eria; auothernoticed 
i)y our sledge part.\ in a cliff at Cape Onniann, Siberia, gives back nu>re than a dozen echoes, and 
Haron W'raugel relate.s that a j)istol tired near some (ditts on the IJiver Lena is echoed a hun- 
dred times. The great distance to which small sounds are sometimes transmitted is also worthy of 
recortl. The first time this acoustic clearness of the atmosphtu-e (rarue uinler observation was at 
Saint Michael's, where a conversation carried on at an incredible distance could l»e distinctly heanl. 
Amid tlie grim silence and desolation of heretofore untrodden Wrangel Island, at a time, too, when 
the air was a<'oustically opatpic for that latitude. 1 distinctly heard our l)oatswain, a small man, 
with a voice of no great volume, giving orders two miles away, wliile laughter and sounds of the 
voice, when any one s))okc above tlie ordinary tone, were heard with such amazing distinctness as 
to suggest telephonic commutiication. Where the conditions were so favorable to the reflection of 
sonorous waves, it was natural to expect the occurrence of a rarer ))henomenon. an echo at sea, such 
as I once noticed in a fog off the Newfoundland Banks while crossing the Atlantic in a French 
steamer, whose fog-whistle was echoed in a surprising manner. Hut at no time was it obsers'ed 
that the nephelogical state of the atmosphere overhead or the prevalenc^> of fog banks gave rise to 
anything like an aerial echo. 

Alth(uigh as a rule no very marked differences in the deeji sea and surface tem))erature8 were 
observed, yet a few of the anomalies noticed are deserving of mention. Fiu- instance, near Herald 
Island, on July 30, the temperature at the bottom was 4S3 and 19°. A few days later off the Siberian 
coast. 10(1 miles to the southward, it measured .'i7°; while later in Bering Sea, over 600 miles to the 
southward, it fell to 0.5°. 

The density of the sea water, as ol)served by Mr. F. E. Owen, assistant engineer of the Ciuwin, 
is shown in the accomi)anying table. The instruments used in obtaining the results were a ther- 
mometer and a hydrometer. Water was drawn at about feet below the surface and heated to a 
temperature of 200° F., and the saturation or .-pecific giavity is shown by the depth to whi(^h the 
hydrometer sinks in the water. As sea water commonly (contains one part of saline matter to thirty- 
two parts of water the instrument is marked in thirty-seconds, as i,^, ^, &c., and the densities are 
fractional parts of one thirty -second : 



Points of observation. 



At Saint Michael's, Hering Sea , ' 

Off Plover Bay, Asia 3*. i 

Arctit' Ocean, near Berinf? Straits , I 32 . j 

iirctiiOiean, near iie on Sibciian coaat 82 i 

Bering S<*a, off Saint Lawreni I Island 31 i 

Goloviiiuc liiiv. UtiiiiK Sua. Juh 10 42 1 

BcrinKSia. I)itwi(ii King's Island and Cupe Prince of Wales, Jul> IJ 44 J 

linlraii.1- I.. Kc.(zil.iicSoniKl, liih 1 17 ; J 

Cape Tlu.iiii""". AnlicO<-cnn Iul\ 17 36 J 

ley CiMH-, .Fuly .'l 36 I 

Hcral.l 1-hiii.l, in 111. ice, Julj » i 31 1 j 

Cape WiinUiiiiin, sil.iria, August '5 33 j 

Wranxcel Kslaiid isurtaoe in io€>AuKn9tl2 ' 31 ' \ 

WruiiKpl l-lanil (bel.>w suifac'' fi f4el \iiKn..t 12 31' ( 

The use of the dredge resulted iu finding the usual bathybian forms that have been already 
described in works relating to Arctic voyages. In latitude 70°, longitude 170=> — a spot known 
jiinong the whalers as the •' PostOtlii^e" — the ilredge brought n\< some mud of a temperature of 
33^, while the water near tlie surface inciisiired .'54'^. Mieroscojiic examination of the mud revealed 
some shells of foraminifera. 

In passing Bering Straits the brownish tint of the water was noticed. It resembled that often 
seen in the water of mill-ponds which has been discolored by decaying leaves. The phosphoi-ea- 



CRUISE OP STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 15 

«ence of tlie sea was also obstuved in September in latitude 70°. And several patches of red snow 
were seen at Plover Bay and at Uerald Island, but whether the tint was owing to the presenile of 
some red pr()to])hyte or not 1 am unable to say. 

The meteorological records kejit on boaril the Corwin, beiuK of use in connection with the navi- 
gation of the vessel only, are, therefore, untrustworthy so far as uiakinsi' any deductions from them 
in regard to clinuitology is concerned. In connection with this subject it may be inferred from the 
ab.seuce of glaciers above Bering Straits and the existence of huge ones in the more southern part 
of Alaska, compared with which the great Aletsch glacier of the Alps is a mere pygmy, that thiv 
amount of precipitation is much less in the higher latitudes of the Pacific Arctic. But the finding 
of terminal and lateral nu)raines, rock scratches, and other evid(!nces of former glaciation, as well 
as of coal, which geology says is the sun's rays in potential form, and also the fossil remains of 
the mammoth along with luxuriant trojiical or semitroi)ical vegetation, would imjily the existence 
at a remote period of a ditterent climatological conditi<ni, a change in which has been brought 
about, according to the explanation of the meteorologists, in long lai>ses of time through the change 
in the eccentricity of the earth's orbit in combination with the precession of the equinoxes and the 
movement of the apsides. Whether a milder climate existed in former days, enabling the mam- 
moth to subsist on vegetable food, as suggested by Professor Owen, or whether the mammoth, in 
his personal locomotions while endeavoring to overcome the influence of climate, was detained in 
his present position b\ the sudden freezing, it is impossible to say. Sir Charles Lyell seems to 
account satisfactorily not oidy for the presence of these animals in the northern parts of Siberia 
and America, but for the permanent masses of i(^e known as mammoth cliffs. His explanation 
is as follows: 

This snow is commonly blown over the edges of steep clitts, so as to form an inclined talus 
hundreds of feet high ; and, when a thaw commences, torrents rush from the laud and throw down 
from the top of the cliti' alluvial soil and gravel. This new soil soon becomes covered with vegeta- 
tion, and protects the foundation of snow from the rays of the sun. Water occasionally penetrates 
iut« the crevices and pores of the snow ; but as soon as it freezes it serves the more effectively to 
consolidate the mass into compact ice. it may sometimes happen that cattle grazing in a valley 
at the base of such clitfs, on the borders of a river, may be overwhelmed by drift snow, and at 
length inclosed in solid ice, and then transported toward the polar region. Or a herd of mam- 
moths, returning from their summer pastures in the norrli. may iiave been surprised, while cross- 
ing a stream, by the su<lden congelation of the waters. 

In the course of the summer we fell in with most of the vessels of the whaling fieet, to several of 
which medical services were rendered, the cases being such as are common to seafaring men. The 
most notable ones were of consumption and constitutional syphilis among men who should never 
have been shipped in the first place. Tiiere also came under notice a case of polydipsia, in which 
it would have been desirable to try large doses of valerian — a medicine not among the stores— 
consequently the patient was nnbenefited l»y treatment ; ;ind there occurred two deaths, one each 
from consumption and ascites. 

One man of the escaped crew of the bark Daniel Webster, which was crushed in the ice, on being 
rescued, aftt-r two weeks of exposure, terror, and starvation, was conqjletely insane, but sul)seqnently 
regained his reason. It seems thiit the act of deserting ship in the Arctic not only taxes all the 
resources of manliness but the situation conduces to bringing about mental derangement. One of 
the oldest and most experieni^ed Arctic whalers tells me that he has seen men from an abandoned 
shiji so lose their wits as to cry like children, sit helpless on the ice, and refuse ti> move until the 
most rigorous measures were taken to force them. Another whaleman told im; that some years ago, 
having to retreat from his crushed shi]) across the ice, two of his crew, becoming raving maniacs, 
finally drowned them.selv(!S ; and the insane seamen of the Jeannette party is fresh in the minds 
of every one. The rescued crew of the Webster were on the verge of starvation when picked up, 
and among the nine taken on board the Corwin there prevailed for sonu' weeks a peculiar distnrbanci- 
of the digestive organs, characterized by a furred tongue, indigestion, and a sense of heaviness and 
pain in the epigastric region. 

But the demands for medical services were more urgent aMu>ng the inhabitants of several remote 
placos where the Corwin touched, notably at Ouualaska and at Saint Michael's, the most northern 
station of the Alaska Commercial Company, and one of the few unprovided with a physician. 



16 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

AnixL'd atOuiialaska and seciut'ly inooretl in a laiuMoiked liarboisiinoundiMl l)y Alp like hills, 
whicii ])re.sented a dreary picture of snowy desolation, we found the air uncommonly chilly and 
apparently disa^reealile enough to »jive a seal l)ronchiti.s, although the inhabitants called it mild 
weather. An epidemic, from which a laige portion of the native population of the island had died, 
prevailed in the little village otf whicii we anchored, and tlie only physician of the place being also 
dangerously ill, the sick were without medical a<lvice or attendance. During the few days of our 
stay every assistance in our i)ower was rendered the sufferers, and we hope that our advent amoug 
them was the means of averting several funerals that otherwise would have taken place. 
JJiSEASKti PECULIAI! TO THE AliOIilGINAL J'OPiLATIOX. 

Gliuical observation of the disease in que-stiou showed marked dyspncea, broucophouy, imper- 
fect arterialization of the blood, (!0ugh, with expectoration, jiaiu, insomnia, and great depression 
both physical au<l psychical : in fact the latter symptom was the most characteristic ; and it 
seemed impossible to impart the least ray of hope to a patient who had made uj) his mind to die 
from the offset of his attack. The disease was very ra])id in its course and, considering the gravity 
of these assembled pheuomena, there was but little of the fever that usually attends pneumonitis. 
The main symptom calling tor relief setsnied to be the marked asthenia, to combat which the 
admiuistratiou of quima, stimulants, and milk were resorted to with beneficial ett'ects. It may be 
mentioned that the a<lministration of (luiiiia to these natives is attended with the happiest results. 
The attending physician atOunalaska inl'orms me that most of the ailments he has to treat among 
them being of an adynamic character he invariably gives quinia, the effect of which, he says, is 
almost magical. It is very much to be regretted that time and ojjportunity forbade a necropsy in 
one of these cases, for aiaoug the different and varied forms under whicii pneumonitis presents 
itself, and this type differing from any 1 have heretofore seen, it is not at all incredible that there 
may have been something distinctive about its morbid anatomy. 

What connection there may have been between the outbreak of the epidemic and the prevailing 
climatic and telluric influences it is impossible to say ; but tlie well-known relations of meteoro- 
logical conditions to certain diseases would lead one to infer that the previous occurrence of several 
earthquake shocks, or, what is more probable, a relatively mild winter, with an uuusual amount of 
precijiitation, maj" have been the i)redisi)osiiig cause ; not to meutiou the interminable diet of fish 
and whale of the Aleutian, his fondness for " quass,'' and his inability to resist slight causes of 
l)sychi('al depressiou. 

So far as it is possible to ascertain the disease seems to have been coutiued almost exclusively 
to the native population. At Ounalaska the only sufferer not a native was from the Island of 
Mauritius. The epidemic also prevailed extensively at Saint Paul's, Uuga, Kodiak, Cook's Inlet, 
and Prince William Sound, a singular coincidence connected with the outbreak being its appear- 
ance at these jilaces immediately or soon after the arrival of the tirst vessel in port. This circum- 
stance so impressed itself on the native mind as to give rise to a general and strong belief in the 
imiiortatiou of the disease. 

It is not at all unlikely that sickness of the foregoing character has occurred from time to 
time among the Aleutians. We have a mention of at least one outbreak, where it is stated that 
during a few days of unusually warm weather an epidemic of bilious pneumonia made its appear- 
ance at Kodiak, one of the adjacent islands, attacking about tif'ty of the natives.* 

The same authority reports the prevalence of interiiiittent fever at Cook's Inlet amoug a 
white population who lived on a bluff several hundred feet high in houses exposed to a strong 
breeze directly from the inlet. The reporter states that the disease might have been contracted 
elsewhere; but happening after a sea voyage of forty days, and in persons previously in good health, 
he attributes it to locality. In a convervsation with Mr. Petrott', whose topographical knowledge 
of this part of Alaska qualifies him to give an intelligent opinion, he iutbrmed me that for many 
miles around the bluff" in question the laud is low and marshy, but he thinks it is not malarious, 
and (luotes the opinion of Dr. Govorlivo, a Russian surgeon, who says that in summer the weather 
of Cook's Inlet is warm and clear; in winter the thermometer falls to -iOo below freezing; rain 
and fog are rare, and the atmosphere is clear, bracing, and healthy. These observations, the 
Doctor adds, are supported by Admiral Tebenkofl'. 

* Paoitii: Medical iind Snixicajl .loninal, 1870, vol. iv, p. 337. 



ORUISE OF STEAMER CORWIX IX THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 17 

Auotber observer, Assistant Surj;'eoii -loliii Brooke, U. S. A., ia a report to the \Var Ottiee, 1S70- 74, 
speaking of the execrable (.limate of a part of Alaska in the same latitude, as Koiliak. remarks: 

It might naturally be siipjjosed that, in such a climate, acute rheumatism and acute pulmonary inllamuiations would 
be very coramon ; but such is not theciise. During a tour of nearly firtecn months I have seen but one caseol' typiciil acute 
rheumatism, and not a single uuse of uncomplicated pneumonia or jjleuritis. Cases of sub-acute rheumatism, however, 
and pains and aches of a few days' duration, are very freiiuent. Pulmonary phthisis is not uncommon, arul forms a large 
percentage of the cases of disease even among the native Indians. 

C;ises of sickness not inl'rcnucutly occur in which Uu'r<; is a gcucnil ailyniiiuii: coiidilion of the system, without delinable 
disease, a condition which is doubtless due to the dejircssing influences of almost continuous wet, and coot, and cloudy 
weather; a monotonous diet, in which fresh fruits and vegetables play an insignificant part: the almost entire absence of 
out-door amusements, .and the want of opportunities for sutl]<ient exercise in the open air. 

The subject cannot be dismissed without some farther historical mention, for which, by the way, 
I am largely indebted to Mr. Petroff, who has obtained his information from original Russian sources 
not generally accessible to the ordinary reader. From 1800 to 1820 no special diseases existed in 
the Russian colonies exclusive of scurvy and syphilis. At the end of 1819 a fever accompanied 
by a reddish eruption broke out, from which forty-two deaths occurred at Kodiak and twenty-tive 
at Sitka. Xo physicians were in the colonies at that time, except those accompanying the ships of 
the company frotn St. Petersburg. It seems that subsequcutly two hospitals were established iu 
1844, one at Sitka of forty beds, and t^ne ;it Kodiak of ten beds; and in 1802 the company had in 
its service three physicians, eleven stewards, five surgeons and apothecaries' as.sistants, two mid- 
wives and two assistants. From 1840 to 1800 a most fatal epidemic in the form of an exaiithcmatous 
fever i)revailed at Ouiialaska. The same disease in 1848 prevailed at Uniga, Sitka, ami the Alaska 
Peninsula, three hundred natives having died therefrom. The reporter further says that the great 
mortality was owing to loss of courage and refusal to take medicine. Tikhmeiiief, in his historical 
reAiew of the Russian colonies, says that the prevailing diseases among the native i)opulation 
of Alaska are cousum])tioii, ulcers, scurvy, and syphilis, they being indebted to the Russians for 
the importation of the latter. He also mentions the occurrence of epidemic pneumonia in 1852 
at Sitka, Kodiak, and the missionary establishment at Bristol Bay. At the first-mentioned place 
the disease occurred principally among children. Iu 1853 there were sixty-four cases of scurvy at 
Sitka, of which nine died ; and iu 1855 an epidemic typhoid fester like yellow fever occurred. It 
was believed to have been imported by a ship which had come around the globe from Russia. The 
mortality, however, does not appear to have been excessive, for out of three hundred and forty-one 
cases there were but thirteen deaths. The .same year there was also an epidemic of pneumonia, three 
hundred and ninety -eight cases having occurred at Sitka and Kodiak with sixty deaths. In 1860 
epidemic measles attacked both adults and children, causing eighty-one deaths in the whole colonies. 

From a report of the Russian American Company on the sanitary condition of Xew Arch- 
angel and other posts from May 1, 1801, to May 1, 1862, it is learned that for 1801 and the fli-st 
third of 1862 and those of previous years there existed both in the number and character of the 
cases a marked difference that was very gratifving. The nu'an daily mimber of patients in the Xew 
Archangel Hospital was ten persons, besides the fact is worthy of attention that scorbutic and 
syphilitic diseases had almost entirely disappeared. In April, 1862, there was not a single case of 
the latter disease. Dr. Markoflski ascribes this circumstance to many Judicious measures taken for 
the extirpation of these diseases by the chief director of the colony, as well as to the greatly 
improved treatment of such patients. The number of i>atients admitted to the New Archangel 
Hospital was 663, of whom 626 recovered and 8 died. In the Kodiak Ilositital there were .'JliO admis- 
.sions, with 330 recoveries and 7 deaths. At Afognak typhus fever ai)i)eared but was promptly 
suppressed. Inoculation (?) is reported to have been carried out generally and successfully in the 
colonies. A medical and sanitary inspection of the northern districts in 1861 .showed the accom- 
modations of the unmarried workmen of the coal exi)edition to be in excellent condition ; the hearty 
and healthy appearance of the men showing that they had been well cared for, notwithstaiuling 
the difQcult uuder-ground character of their work ; and the surgery is reported to have been in good 
condition. Dr. ISIarkoffski also makes a favorable report for Michalow.ski (Saint Michael's) and 
speaks of the new Kasharn as light, spacious, an<l very comfortable; and of the lazarettc and 
surgery as well provided and in good order. 
H. Ex. 105 3 



18 CEUISE OF STEAMER OORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

No opiilemiis are iiiontiouetl, except one of gastric fever, tbo result of immoderate eatiug, 
uliich ])revaile<l on Saint (ieorge's Island. It yielded to treatment. Tbe houses of this island are 
reported to l)e in a satisfactory condition, sanitary conditions being observed as far as ]>ossible, also 
order and cleanliness; and tlie Kashim (or club-house) comes in for favorable mention. 

On the Island of Saint Paul the regulations establislied for cleanliness are reported to have 
been generally obeyed. Inoculation (?) was generally carried out, and almost all the children were 
vaccinated except at Ikogmut Mission, where the natives refused to adopt tiiis method of protec- 
tion ; but it is stated that this obstinacy may be overcome by time or accidental circumstances 
such as the prevalence of an ei>idemic. 

A disease called the ''black measles'' ap[)eared at Kodiak and the adjoining islands in 187o, 
from which the Alaska Herald of August 3, 187.^, reports tbe following deaths to July of that year : 

Kodiak 40 

Wood Island 50 

Afogiiak 20 

Yelona - - - 10 

flafile llarlior 10 

Total I*) 

Tiie natives of the Pribylof Islands, being better housed than these on the Aleutian Islands, 
ajtpcar of late to have fared bettor as regards hcaltli than their more southern neighbors. The 
woniler is, though, after visiting these islands, that so little sickness exists among a population 
most of whom live but a few hundred yards away from the carcasses of thousands of seals in all 
stages of decomposition. On the island of Saint Paul, for instance, where the climate is as humid 
and disagreeable as possible, the carcasses of the 80,000 seals that are slaughtered yearly are left 
to decay in the open air in the immediate vicinity of the village, and the stench therefroiu is auy- 
tliiiig but pleasant. One night the Corwin anchored under tbe lee of the island, about a mile off 
shore, and the stench was so great as to jireclude sleep during the night. 

A stroll ashore on Saint Paul aftbrded a line opportunity to study comparative anatomy, 
especially of tbe marine mammalia; for in addition to the millions of live seals to be seen hauled 
up on the rookeries, we walked through the green, slimy ooze, the remains of thousands of seals 
slain years ago, occasionally sinking over our ankles in a substance resembling adipocere;- picked 
our way through the scattered anatomy of last year's seal and walrus; witnessed the remains of 
the l,."»00 .seals killed but yesterday and of the 1,L'00 killed the day before. 

I'^rom information furnished by Special Agent Otis, it is learned that tbe prevailing diseases 
are of a ])ulnionary and cutaneous character, but the mortality returns of a late year show three 
deaths each from scrofula and cerebro spinal meningitis. Since 1860, out of a population of about 
300, the increase lias been but slight, tbe births and deaths having about balanced each other. The 
mortality per thousand being nearly three times greater than that among more civilized commuai- 
ties under more favorable conditions, and tbe Aleutian women, as a rule, being unprolitic, it is 
hardly reasonable to look for any deciided iiutrease in tbe population excei)t under changed and 
more favorable conditions. 

Mr. George Kennan, the genial author of ''Tent Life in Siberia," has kindly furnished a trans- 
lation of the cbaptei' from Veniamenotf 's History of the Aleutian Islands, relatives to " Diseases an<l 
their Treatment," from which the following notes are taken: 

" It appears that in the early days of the Russian occupation the Aleutians bad some crude 
notions of human anatomy, which they accinired from the dissection of the dead bodies of their 
slaves, and they also had considerable knowledge of medicine and surgery tbe practice of which, 
being prohibited aiul suppressed by tbe Russians, is now entirely lost. Among the diseases most 
common to them were a skin disease known as 'seep;' itch, boils, diarrhoea, and fever — the latter 
called 'commou" because no one escaped it — and consumption of two kinds generally considered 
incurable. The first variety was simply a decay of the lungs attended by such symptoms as 
cough, spitting of blood, and shortness of breath; the second, proceeding from decay of the liver, 
was accompanied by gTii)iug of the intestines and rapid emaciation. 

"They were also acquainted with another disease which they called the 'inward disease.' 
Scurvy and venereal disease were formerly unknown to them. 



CRUISE OF STEAlNfER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 19 

"Their principal tlierapeutic measures consisted in patience and strict diet, the patient being 
allowed oulj' a gargle and two spoonfuls of water in the twenty-four hours. Dangerous wounds 
were treated by prolonged fasting, as they considered food and drink extraordinarily dangerous 
for the patient, and creating a licpiid in the wound which caused inflaniniatlon and even death. 
The writer states that this method of treatment is still pursued, and thinks that even now it saves 
many from death. Accidental wounds from foxtraps were quite common, the barbed iron teeth 
usually taking effect in or near the knee-joint. At Onnalaska out of forty or fifty cases but two 
are known to have died. In gunshot wounds, aside from diet, they used for cleansing and keeping 
unds alive the fat of fishes and various land animals, especially fat from the head of the fox. 
Over deep wounds thej' sifted burnt teeth reduced to powder and applied a fresli mouse-skin every 
day. Swellings and rheumatisms they treated with various fomentations and ointments, or by 
poultices made of roots. Other external diseases they hardly treated at all, except by employing 
the universal medicines, diet and patience. 

" In fevers they employed decoctions of bitter herbs and guarded the patient carefully from 
tlie external air. Herbs were also used in consumi)tion of the first kind, but if the expectoration 
proved troublesome, the patient was submitted further to the operation of ' pricking.' In both 
kinds of consumption the Aleut doctors supposed the bad symptoms to proceed from bad blood, 
or a ferment, or spirit. The operation just mentioned was performed by thrusting stone lancets 
on both sides immediately under the ribs, and was done by the most skillful surgeons only, 
because it required accurate knowledge of the internal i>arts and of just how much of the spirit to 
let out, as there was danger of letting it all out and thus sending the patient to the other world. 
The operation, also used as a remedy for 'internal disease,' was considered the most approved 
treatment for colic, and patients expressed themselves as having received decided benefit therefrom. 
' Puncture ' in critical conditions was resorted to as the last and sole remedy. It was also used 
in many other diseases, for example in diseases of the eyes, where the skin was pricked between 
the eyes or on the nape of the neck. In fact, this operation was done on all parts of the body, 
and an instance was known of an Aleut having submitted to it forty times, various parts of his 
body having been punctured. The operators were men famous for their skill, and imparted their 
knowledge to the best-beloved of their children or nephews; for this reason the art is of late become 
almost lost. Common bleeding from the arm and leg was employed to reduce large swellings and 
correct morbid conditions of the blood; also to combat sluggishness or weakness, headache, and 
loss of appetite. 

" For diarrhu-a astringent roots and diet were employed or the root of the ' makarsha.' Another 
treatment in 'internal diseases,' generally resorted to by old women, consisted in a sort of manipu- 
lation of the belly while the patient was lying on his back. It was used principally against griping 
pains, and elicited high praise from the men who have experienced the treatment." 

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL. 

The principal vices among these people, who are generally mild and iuofl'ensive, seem to be a 
fondness for games of chance and an uncontrollable craving for alcoholic drinks — an appetite 
which, by the way, two seasons of personal observation and experience in the Arctic convince me 
is something of a physiological necessity. The taste, however, seems to be an acquired one by 
the aborigines, for I saw a man at Nounivak Island to whom the taste was foreign, and on tasting 
both brandy and whiskey he made a wry face and spat them out with evident disgust. 

Late authorities testify strongly in favor of the benefit to be derived from moderate indulgence 
in drink during an Arctic sojourn. In looking over a. precis of the evidence taken by the Parlia- 
mentary Committee appointed to inquire into the adequacy of the provision in the way of food, 
medicines, and medical comforts furnished to the Nares Arctic Search Expedition, we learn that 
Sir Edward Parry attributed the greatest antiscorbutic effect to beer ; and Dr. Colan, R. N., fieet 
surgeon (Alert), says it is the opinion of all the men he has read about who spoke about beer in the 
Arctic regions. Dr. Barnes believes beer decidedly antiscorbutic and recommends it should be 
"•iven. Sir George Nares says abstainers are no better off than others as regards scurvy. Captain 
Markham says he would as soon take a man of temperate habits on an expedition as an abstainer ; 
the two total abstainers of his sledge suffered severely, and he himself felt better after he took to 
drinking his rum. Sir L. McClintock says there is no advantage in teetotalers; I\Ir. Alexander 



20 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

Gray, tliiit. tlieie is no advantajne in liealtli in abstainers on board whalers, while Dr. A. Envall, who 
accom|)aiii('(l Nordenskiold, condemns excess, but says he believes si»iritnous liquors to be of great 
use in small and moderate quantities. Further mention may bo made to Professor Nordenskiold 
and Lieutenant Palauder, who in 1S73 undertook a sledging journey from their winter quarters in 
Spitzbergen, in latitude 79° 53' north, and were away sixty-six days. During the whole journey, 
there was no .scurvy, though the party had no lime juice. The diet consisted of ])emmican, bi.scuit, 
salt pork, butter, coffee in al)undauce, and a little spirits daily. All returned in excellent health. 
Comparison may be made between the Alert, of the Nares Expedition, aboard which scurvy 
prevailed notwithstanding the careful daily administration of lime juice, and H. M. S. Assistance, 
in 1850-'51. In the Assistance there was beer brewed on board, while the Alert had no such advan- 
tage. No scurvy prevailed on board the former ship. Captain Markham, speaking of the i)reven- 
tion of scurvy in any future expedition wintering in high latitudes, says that the dietetic causes 
may be reduced to a minimum by varying the diet with condensed milk, butter, eggs, beer, and 
wine, lie also observes in regard to the adequacy and completeness of outfit that former expedi- 
tions had the means of brewing beer on board, while the Nares Expedition had no such advantage. 

Markham moreover says that Captain Hall, of the Polaris, who died of apoplexy, was a 
teetotaler and was much annoyed at seeing others drink. 

Whatever (ionclusions may be deduced from the foregoing, it is evident that there is an abso- 
lute consensus of oi)iniou both among executive and medical officers of late Arctic Expeditions iu 
regard to the judicious use of alcoholic beverages. It only remains to add that personal experi- 
ence and observation convince that there is an indescribable something iu the Arctic atmosphere 
that i)roduces what is called the northern craving for drink, even among persons who care nothing 
for it in temperate latitudes. Being of abstemious habits, I would not for the world say anything 
to favor intemperance, but facts warrant in testifying to the undeniable good effects of whiskey 
when served out to the crew after unusual fatigue ami exposure; and I know of no place, circum- 
stance, or condition under which such beverages as beer and claret are more palatable or more 
valuable from a hygienic point of view than when taken at meals during an Arctic voyage. 

Illicit traders, taking advantage of this northern craving for drink, have of late years been in 
the habit of supplying the most villainous compounds, in exchange for small quantities of which 
the improvident Eskimo gives his choicest furs. Some captured specimens of these prohibited 
articles, bearing the respective labels of Bay Rum, Jamaica Ghif/cr, Pain Killer, and Florida Water, 
with a view to defrauding the revenue, proved on examination to be nothing but cheap alcohol of a 
highly inflammable nature to which a little coloring matter had been added. Loath as I am 
to give the least encouragement to intemperance, being rather an a<lvocate of temperance, I 
cannot help thinking that it would be a stej) in the right direction, and one lu-oductive of 
good, if instead of the present prohibitory naeasures the fur companies were allowed to sell small 
iiuantities of beer and claret. In addition to their value as antiscorbutics, their use would be 
eminently better for the natives from a moral point of view than the present use of " (piass," a vile 
native decoction made from sugar and flour, both of which articles the traders have a right to 
dispo.se of in uidimited quantities. 

To the alleged introduction of spirituous liquors is said to be due the famine and excessive 
mortality among the natives of Saint Lawrence Island, one thousand of whom it is estimated have 
died in the last three years. Several visits to this island revealed the fact that it is fast becoming 
depopulated. The first village at which we landed was entirely deserted ; at a second not a living 
being was to be seen, but in and around the houses were (;ounted fifty-four dead bodies, all adults. 
Many laid unburied on the adjacent hills, while others had died in bed, where they still remained. 
A third village, which must have been a very old settlenu^nt, judging from tlu^ thousands of walrus 
.skulls strewn in every direction and from the character of the kitchen-middens, was also depopulated. 
It was a Golgotha in every sense of the word. A great numy dead were found here, laid promis- 
cuously out of doors, and in one house we found sixteen bodies. Among these remains were those 
of several children, a fact which tended to remove previous suspicions of cainiibalism on the part 
of the sutt'eiers. At these villages was made a fine collection of luimit crania ami other ethnological 
curiosities for the Smithsonian Institution. Finally we visited at the northwest extremity of the 
island a settlement where lived several hundred Eskimo. They informed us that two hundred 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN ARCTIC OCEAN. 



21 



people of the village had died of faiuiue, as near as we coidd make out from a very imperfect iuter- 
pretation, and that food became so scarce they were obliged to eat dried walrus skins and their 
dogs, having but one dog left, when happily the capture of a whale afforded timely relief. A 
number of these fur and feather-clad aborigines, having their heads shaved after the manner of 
Zurbaran's pictures of monks in the middle ages, were clamorous in iniimrtuning for whiskey, and 
the chief of the village refused to sell us a few reindeer skins unless we gave him liquor in exdiange, 
this too while the poor reuiaining dog, looking wistfully up into his face, seemed to be a living 
warning not to try as a remedy the hair of tlie dog that had bitten the village. 

To attribute the late cause of death among these people entirely to intemperance admits of 
some doubt. It seems impossible for them, owing to lack of means, to have procured enough driidc 
to last more than a few days, or at least during the short stay of any trading vessel that may have 
arrived. Then again it is probable that some epidemic intiuence was the main factor, if we may 
rely upon the statement of a whaling captain who visited the island during the time vso many were 
dying. He tells me that the disease was what he calls " measles or black tongue." Admitting the 
prevalence of sickness of this kind among an improvident and shiftless people, starvation must 
follow as an inevitable and necessary result. Similar conditions liaving prevailed among the 
Asiatic Eskimo of Plover Bay and East Cape, many of whom have died in the last few years, it 
would, perhaps, be nearer the truth to say that the mortality in question was due to the combined 
influences of intemperance, sickness, and starvation. 

EFFECTS OF CUM ATE. 

At Saint Michael's, almost under the Arctic Circle, I found tliat pulmonary troubles and the 
constitutional effects of syphilis prevailed among the small poi)alation to an alarming extent. Here 
also, as in most every northern place we touched at, the wicked thirst for rum exercised a domi- 
nating influence. The winters are long ami cold, with high winds and gales and a great deal of 
snow; the thermometer falls to — 450, aii<l the winter previously to our coming was so severe that 
owing to the great and long continued cold Eskimo dogs and wild geese are reported to have 
frozen to death. The accompanying meteorological summaries from the records of the Signal Office 
jiive a more detailed account of the weather: 











irETEOKOLOGICAL SUMMARY. 














BAB09 


ETER. 

liaii-.-. 


- 


Thehmo 
1 


lETEB 


i 


^ 

3 




Wind. 




Amount op r.\in and 
melted snow. 










{auge 




y 








£■- 


1 
















— 








"Z 


•c 


0^ 




J 


•B'i 


1. 


July. 1879, toeliil of 






H 


June. 18S0. 








































aJ 




C 




3i 




-£ r 















1 


1 


i 




i 


3 


a 
S 


i 1 


5 


f 


K a 
an 


"a 


1 


'in 


.2 




S 


" 


5 


s 


s 


S 


-^! 


s 


£ 


' S 


^ 


< 


a 


£ 


1«7'J. 
















Miles. 










July 


■29. 8.W 


.30. 244 


39.121 


1. 130 


.->.!. 4 


6.S 


36 


32 


82.6 


North. 


•17 


7.473 


.65 


16 





August 


29.731 


30.185 


39.237 


. H'.lit 


,J0. 3 


62 


;i5 


27 


88. 8 


North. 


53 


8.870 


.83 


18 





September 


39.622 


30.097 


29.323 


.761 


1.1.1 


.58 


19 


39 


88.3 


North. 


49 


7.878 


.64 


21 





October 


29. 748 


30.544 


29. 290 


1 . 3.->l 


30.1 


43 


13 


39 


■H.7 


.South. 


76 


13. .380 


.33 


16 


1 


November 


29.747 


.30.498 


29.011 


1 . 1ST 


17.4 


.36 


—12 


48 


98.5 


.South. 


74 


10,712 


.03 


U 


4 


December 


:)n. 17.9 


30. 797 


29. 38:i 


I.II4 


6.0 


36 


-32 


68 


99. 7 


North. 


68 


7.917 


.117 


10 


3 


imt. 
































.fanuary 


30.037 


31.012 


28.934 


2.078 


—19. 


15 


—45 


60 


IIHI 


North. 


U 


4.671 





9 


3 


February 


29.884 


30.6.i2 


29.083 


1..569 


.4 


•,> 


—41 


■> 


99.1 


South. 


75 


11.456 


? 


17 





March 


29.992 


30.682 


39.125 


l..>57 


8.3 


•* 


~V- 


? 


99.0 


South. 


69 


12.598 


? 


20 





April 


29.874 


:».665 


29.229 


1.436 


19.3 


•t 







97.8 


N. E... 


49 


7.042 


.10 (?) 


14 





May 


29.963 


30.499 


29.517 


.982 


28.0 


•> 


-'l 


? 


97.0 


North. 


..i 52 


6.808 


.21 


11 





































•'""* ■ 1 , , 1 1 1 1 T ' i 



GENERAL REMARKS. 

1879: July.— Cold and damp; rain or fogr Hourly every day. 

August.— Cold and rainy. 

September. — Winter commenced the lant of the month ; remarkably early. 

Octoljer.— Almost a continuous aeries of gale^ all the month. 

November.— Series of gales the last of the month. 

December.— Mild temperatures and ^zt^,len the last half of month, ending abruptly in severely cold weather. 
Station: Saint Michael's, Alaska. 
1380 : January.— Remarkably high barometer the first of month ; long continued cold weather with high winds the last. 

February. — A continuous series of gales accompanied by snow all the month. 

March.— Extraordinarily large snow fall during the month ; but the accompanynig gales, as in February, prevented measurement. 

April. — Ver>- cold ; unusually fine weather toward the last of month, but low temperatures still prevailed. 

May —Winter continued unbroken until the 18th inst., when it became suddenly warm, and the water-fowl began arriving. 



22 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



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CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 23 

In addition to the frt'cuu'iit disorders of the respiratory organs, rheumatistn and atlcclions of 
the alimentary canal are (juite coniinon. The latter are itrincipally dne to overloading the stomach 
after a long fast, and indigestion from this canse is so frequent that it is no uncommon thing to 
find an Eskimo sutlering for several days from all the remorse of a guilty stomach. Tlie women, 
too, are at times violently hysterical, and in this respect do not differ much from their more civilized 
sisters. 

AFFECTJOXS OF THE EYE. 

Diseases of the eye and its appendages are quite numerous, and among them I noticed 
several cases of opacity of the crystalline lens and of the cornea, and of fatty and pigmental 
degeneration. Ophthalmia tarsi in its chronic form and granular inflammation of the conjunctiva 
are common along with amblyopia and asthenojjia, and it is not at all unlikely that a specialist 
might exhaust the oplithalnjological vocabulary in describing the diseases he might observe. 

Among these numerous eye diseases, liowevcr, 1 observed but two cases of total blindness; 
one in a man at Saint Lawrence Island and another at Saint Michael's in a nati\e from the interior. 
Mr. Petrotf, whose duties as census agent liave aflbrdcd him great facilities for observing the inte- 
rior iDopnlatton, informs me that blindness is almost universal among the older people, most of 
whom get blind on reaching the age of (ifty. This blindness, common also to the lower animals, 
was once observed by iiim in a bear nt I'riiice William Sound. The bear with scv(M'al others 
was seen approaching his party on the beach, and the singular actions of this particular bear 
attracting attention, from the uncertain way in which he walked and was puslied about by the noses 
of the other bears, it was singled out and shot, when an examination showed the previous existence 
of total blindness, which of course accounted lor the odd movements of the animal. 

These eye affections are not caused by smoke as has been erroneously snpj)osed : they are 
mostly the result of snow blindness, in which the sensibility of the end-organs, the rods and cones, 
is diminished or exhausted by the prolonged illumination from the constant sunlight and the glare 
from broad expanses of brightly glistening snow. The rarefaction of the arctic atmosphere, the 
insufficient and impoverished condition of the blood brought about by bad feeding and the strumous 
diathesis, may likewise be mentioned as predisposing causes. 

It may not be digressing from the subject to cite an observation of Mr. Edwards, surgeon to 
Sir Edward Parry's second expedition, who has noticed in the Ilskimo wluit he believed to be a 
rudimentary nictitating membrane resembling that which protects the eyes of some animals. The 
peculiarity he points out as common to many individuals of Melville Peninsula, and consists in the 
inner corner of the eye being covered by a dai)lication of the adjacent loose skin. This fold is lightly 
stretched over the edges of the eyelids, covering the cariinculus lachrymalis, which in Europeans 
is exposed, and forms, as it were, a third lid of crescentric shape. This singularity was ascertained 
to be very remarkable in childhood, less so toward the adult age, and then frequently disappear- 
ing altogether, the projiortion in -which it existed in grown up persons being small compared with 
that observed among the young.* 

An interesting question in this connection is the form of the libres of the cones and rods in the 
retina of the Eskimo. It is known that in animals, the habits of which are nocturnal, such as owls 
and bats, the cones are wholly wanting, and rods alone are present ; so a ^'ariation may have 
occuiTcd in tlie eye of the Eskimo in this particular as one of the results of his conflict with his 
circumstances. But this is mere speculation, and the incorrect observation of Mr. Edwards, when 
viewed in the light of more recent ophthalinological knowledge, would seem to be nothing more nor 
less than a congenital defect, owing to the laxity of the skin at the root of the nose and of the folds 
on a level with the inner canthus of the eye known as epicauthus, which often disapi)ears with the 
development of the bones of the nose, and is remediable by an operation or the ai)plication of 
electricity to the muscles of the face. 

Although applications from the Eskimo for " eye-medicine" were quite frequent, yet I was 
unable to find out much regarding the means taken by them to treat or prevent eye diseases. In 
the quaint old book of Hans Egede, a missionary who spent twenty-five years among the Green- 
landers, is an account of an operation that he has seen Eskimo perform for removing a film from 



Edinbttigh Philosophical Journal, \o\. 36, 1844. 



24 CRDISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

the I'vo with a liooked needle aud a knife, which from the description appears to be the same as the 
modern operation for pterygium. No operative procedure of the kitid came under observation; 
but it was noticed that tlie use of a sliade for protection was (juite common, also eye-blinkers 
made of wood in wliicli was cut a slit after the uianner of the stenopaic slit of oculists used to 
correct astifjniatisni. 

From imperfect observation and the difli<niUy experienced in communicating iutellif^ently with 
the Eskimo I was unable to determine whether acritochromacy existeil among them to any great 
extent. That this functional trouble does exist we know from Nordeiiskiold, who ascertained the 
fact after actual exi)erinuMit. Many of them, however, possess eye sight that is perfectly wonder- 
ful, being endowed with the acuity of vision peculiar to nomads and iiunters who spend a great 
deal of time in the open air, which enables them to descry distant objects oidy discernible to ordi- 
nary eyes by means of a spy-glass. 

At several places I saw Eskimo using spy -glasses antl opera-glasses, witli tiie use of wliich 
they were perfectly familiar. As far north as Point I'arrow, the northwestern extieniity of America, 
I saw an old fellow with a i)air of o])era-glasses of French manufacture, which he carried carefully 
protected in a skin bag hung around his neck. Another pair was in possession of a man at Cape 
Kruzenstern, who showed how they were useful to him in stalking reindeer. 

AliCTir MOSQIITOKS. 

I\Ios(piitoes were found to be (piite troublesome at Saint .Michai^rs. How strange that thebu.sy 
drone of the.-je little dipterous insects, recalling the solicitations for a pour hoire in a French cafe, 
should importune one's ears at a spot so far north beyond the domain of the ordinary "globe trot- 
ter"' and unknown to toui-istsi Tiie little pests are more widely distributed than the Innuit race or 
the reindeer, to botii of wlioiu tiiey cause great annoyance during the short Arctic summer. Frail 
as they are in body they iiave reached as far north as man has penetrated, having been found 
by the Nares Expedition, aiul unlike other insects they seem to have no relations to the external 
conditions by which they are surroundeil, being in fact cosuioi)olitau and iiaving no zoological 
province. Not only are they nncontined to any limited or definite area, their distribution in 
time is contemporaneous with if not antecedent to nmn, as their fossil remains have been found 
in the Tertiary beds of the Lower White River, Colorado; and au instance is even recorded of their 
atibrding uuiterial for Eskimo wit at Lieutenant Schwatka's expense, who was facetiously styled 
by these i)eople " the big mos(iuito." 

Mr. Seebolnn, a naturalist who visited Northern Siberia to study the birds, wi-ites: 

Hut there is out ji;re;it drawback to visitin}; tlus cliuvuiing country, and that is the reason wliy it is so frequented by 

hirds — tlie myriads of mosquitoe-s. Life witliout a veil I belle\e would be perfectly unendurable. I w;is obliged to weir 

thick leather glove.s, and on many ocuisions, when shooting, if I Wiis too long in taking aim, I ha<l to shakethe barrel to get 

the mosquitoes oft', aud then take another aim quickly before they lighted again, otherwise I could not see the bird at all. 

Arctic mosquitoes as encountered by us surpassed anything I have ever seen in New Jersey, 
for instance, where it is said they collect at times in such clouds around village church steeples as 
to be mistaken for smoke and cause an alarm of fire. Although they were worse than anything that 
I ever experienced at such places as Tybee Island, Georgia, the New Orleans (]uarantine station, or 
on the Rio Grande River, they differ from the southern insect in several resiiects. In the first place 
they are more pilose and more plumose, and have not so much uimbleness and activity, in conse- 
quence of which they are unable to get out of the way quickly and can easily be killed almost by 
the handful; but they seem to be just as venomous and persistent as their southern congeners. 

Owing to their excessive annoyance, at times it was found to be almost impossible to use the 
instruments in taking observations when the position of a spot on shore was to be determined. 
On one occasion at a desolate spot on the top of Chamisso Island, about 1200 feet above the sea 
level, we found an astronomical station, which had been established by parties from English ships 
in search of Sir John Franklin, and near it was a notice telling souiethiug about a bottle buried 
BO many feet to the magnetic north. Curiosity, of course, ])rompted to get it by all means, but the 
mosquitoes coming in such myriads actually caused the search to be abandoned. Many of the men 
of the Corwin's crew were seriously incomiaoded by their bites and stings on exposed parts of the 
body, one man's neck and face being so swollen from this cause that he was temporarily deprived 
of eyesight. 



CRUISE OP STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 25 

MEDICAL AND SUEOICAL REMARKS. 

No serious epidemics luive occivrred at Saiut Michael's since 1840, wheu small-pox was iutro- 
duced by the Russians. This is probably the northern limit of that disease on the PuciHc Ameri- 
can coast. Of 550 cases occuring at Saint Michael's and Kolmakovsky 200 died, and a famine 
ensued because of the death of so many of the hunters and providers." 

This post having been for a long time in possession of the Russians before the Alaskan 
purchase, numerous half-breeds are found in the vicinity, for whom the so-called strumous diath- 
esis seems to have the preference. That diseases of the latter character have v>revailed for some 
time may be assumed from examination of an aboriginal skull exhumed from the neighboring grave- 
yard at Saint Michael's. There is shown extensive necrosis of the bones composing the apex of the 
sknll, also of the temi)oral and occipital bones and the left half of the inferior maxilla. 

It appears that variola prevailed among the Alaskans previously to the Rnssian occupation, 
for several early Spanish navigators mention having noticed the marks of small-pox among the 
natives of Sitka Bay and Port Bucareli on Prince William Sound. The first mention is made by 
Don Francisco Antonio Maurelle, who explored the coast in 1775. "Journal of a Voyage iu 1775 
to explore the coast of America northward of California," published in English, Edinburgh, 
1802. The other reference is '' Relacion del Viaga Heche por los Goletas dutil y Mexicana en el 
ano de 1792, Madrid, ISOl." 

Hagemeister (Report on Russian Colonies, 1820) says that the first vaccine matter was brought 
to Alaska in 1808 by the ship Neva, and the surgeon, Mardhorst, who introduced vaccination, 
instructed the agents of the company in performing the operation. From Tikbmenieff we learn 
that^400 natives and 1 Russian died of small-pox at Sitka in 1836, and the disease being carried to 
Kodiak the following year, in March, it caused the death of 737 people. 

On the Alaskan Peninsula vaccination seems to have afforded protection from the disease, for 
but 27 deaths occurred out of 213 cases. At Ouualaska there were 180 cases, of which 130 died. 
At Cook's Inlet, the natives refusing to be vaccinated, the mortality is reported to have been greater, 
but no figures are given. The last cases occurred there in 1810. The reappearance of small-pox 
was noticed at Sitka in 1862, and it traveled northward, but vaccination is alleged to have lessened 
the mortality of previous epidemics. 

On reaching Saint Lawrence Bay, Siberia, a native was taken aboard at his own request with 
a view to utilize his ser\ices, as he spoke a little English. This fellow had a fatuous expression 
of countenance and a choreic affection which kept up an intermittent twitching of his head. After 
several days he suffered from constipation and insomnia, for which the usual remedies were admin- 
istered, with the effect best described in the patient's own phraseology when (luestioued at morning 
sick call : "Lass night big sick; today small sick; all same bime by good." However, the bustle 
and stir on board a steam-vessel, with the unusual surroundings, caused a return of the insomnia, 
and the fellow's state of mind was not improved by seeing our collection of aboriginal crania nor 
by the chaff and gibes of tlie men in \he forecastle, who made him believe that he was to be taken 
to San Francisco in a box as an anatomical curiosity, all of which causes tended to produce an 
illusion of the imagination that exercised a despotism over his weak and uncultivated intellect- 
High authority asserts that all suicides originate either from insanity or moral cowardice. Here 
undoubtedly is an instance in which the disorder of the relations between mental and physical 
functions was of such a nature as to destroy the current presumptions tbunded on these relations 
as existing in health— the man stabbed himself and jumped into the sea. Happily he was fished 
aboard with great promptness, a boat being alongside at the time. An inspection showed a pene- 
trating wound of the chest just under the left nipple, the knife having entered several inches ; blood 
and air escaped from the wound every time the patient coughed, and tlie hand placed over the 
surface of the chest showed extensive effusion of blood into the thoracic cavity with the peculiar 
mucous bubbling or gurgling of traumatopnoja. With such a formidable array of symptoms the 
patient ought to have perished promptly fiom asphyxia, notwithstanding the application of an 
occlusive dressing to the wound, a tight roller bandage around the chest, and the administration 
of the usual stimulant and opiate. After considerable delirium, followed by orthopncea, it was 

* Tikhmenieff: Historical Keview of the Russian Colonies. Vol. I, p. 311-13. 
H. Ex. 105 4 



26 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAK 

sari)risiiig to notice the presence of favorable symptoms and ultimate improvement. In a lew days 
the i»atient was landed at Plover Bay, Siberia, where he recovered sufficiently to start on foot for 
his home over a rugged mountain way 150 miles distant. 

Some weeks thereafter the Corwin happening to sto[) in at Plover Bay, I inquired of a native, 
remarkable for his whaleman's English and apothegmatical way of putting things, whether my 
l)atient had got well, to which he replied, "Yes; small well." I learned subsecjuently from a whal- 
ing vessel, on board which this man had made a visit at Saint Lawrence Bay, that he had entirely 
recovered from his wound, but still labored under the delusion that his life had been attempted by 
the captain of the Corwin. 

One case of hermetical sealing of a wound of the foregoing description does not prove much, 
to be sure, and it is hardly necessary to advocate a subject that has been the occasion of much 
discussion; but it does seem that the occlusive treatment, which has been sanctioned and prac- 
ticed by such masters as Guy de Chaiiliac, John de Vigo, Par6, Graefe, of Berlin, and others, has 
its virtues, notwithstanding a different and unwarrantable assumption put before the public in a 
late official publication. 

Wounds seem to heal uncommonly well in the Arctic, a fact doubtless owing to the highly 
ozonized condition of the atmosphere and the absence of disease germs and organic dust. It is 
noticeable both in man and animals. At King's Island I saw a whale's rib in which reunion had 
taken phice after a fracture probably caused by a bomb lance, and I have also seen a bear with 
several reunited ribs which had been fractured by a musket ball that had previously passed through 
the skull. A fossil rib of a reindeer, taken from the mammoth clift" in Kotzebue Sound, likewise 
showed reunion after a fracture. 

Several extraordinary recoveries from scalp wounds, more extensive in character than 
anything of the kiu<l I have ever seen in hospital or described in surgical works, came under my 
observation. One occurred off the Siberian coast in an old Eskimo who denuded a large portion 
of the osfrontis from a fall on the ice. Careful approximation of the edges of the wound and the 
api)lication of a retentive bandage were followed by rapid healing unaccompanied by complications. 
But the two most notable ones were in Eskimo, who in encounters with bears had been pawed and 
terribly lacerated about the head and face — a favorite amusement of this animal when he gets a 
man in his clutches. The first fellow's scalp, neck, and face, in the region of the parotid gland, 
were extensively mutilated; the second was similarly torn, with tiie additional loss of his left eye, 
and fracture of his inferior maxilla. Both men, though much deformed, had recovered without 
surgical assistance, and the wounds were well cicatrized. 

Occasional gunshot wounds, usually the result of accident, are also met with among the Eskimo. 
At Saint Lawrence Bay I saw an old man who had been struck by a ball which entered the left 
side of his face just under the zygomatic process, and, passing downwards, had emerged fi'om the 
neck, in the vicinity of the right carotid artery. 

Among other things observed surgically were three cases of angular ankylosis of the knee 
joint, two occurring in adults and one in a boy; a case of paraplegia, due to traumatic causes; a 
case of periostitis of the bones of the forearm, another of necrosis of the superior maxilla; several 
of tumors occurring on the neck, and one case of hemoi-rhoids. The latter affection and boils are 
(piite common, according to Mr. Nelson, who has spent some time at Saint Michael's. Mr. Petroff 
tells me that he has seen among the Innuit population of the interior extensive serjiigiuous ulcers, 
which yielded readily to treatment; and has also noticed a great many instances of disabled 
extremities from the effects of fi'ost-bite. Among the more northern Eskimo, however, it appears 
that frost-bites are extremely rare. I have never seen an instance, and this observation seems to 
accord with the experience of others. More rare still is the occurrence of malformation, deformity, 
or idiotcy. Whether the Spartan rule obtains relative to the destruction of weak or deformed 
infants, I am unable to say. However that may be, I can recall but a single instance in which 
thei'e was observed anything approaching to deformity, and that was a girl with a supernumerary 
digit. 

Skin diseases, principally of the vesicular and squamous varieties, were found to prevail 
extensively, a fact not to be wondered at, since they are just the diseases the medical man would 
expect to see developed in subjects among whom are recognized the conditions most favorable to 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 27 

their origin. The existence of the dartrous, scrofulous, rheumatic, and even syijhilitic diseases, 
along with personal uncleauliness, nmst necessarily result in such lesions of the skin as eczema, 
psoriasis, ichthyosis, pityriasis, and tinea favosa, all of which I saw among the Eskimo. Although 
affections of the scalp were quite common, especially in children, I noticed but one case of baldness, 
which leads me to doubt the statement of several medical men to the effect that wearing fur caps 
is one of the causes of loss of the hair. If this were true every Eskimo 'pat« ou^lit to be as bald 
as the palm of the hand. 

It is also doubtless true that the numerous catarrhs and bronchial and pulmonary troubles are 
only internal manifestations of the diatheses previously mentioned. When the Corwin was along 
the Siberian coast in June and July not a man on boai-d had a cold, yet nearly all the natives we 
met with were suffering from coughs and colds. The same thing was observed by our sledge party 
who went up the coast, and Lieutenant Schwatka informs me that rheumatic and pulmonary 
complaints were the principal ones noticed by him. Notwithstanding j\Ir. Kennan's mention of a 
reindeer picket in au atmosphere of — 00°, it is indeed questionable whetlior Eskimo can endure 
cold as well as well-fed white men. Though clad in furs, I have often seen them shivering from 
cold, when our crew, with only the ordinary winter clothes of sailors, experienced no discomfort. 

Among their more common ailments are boils and epistaxis, the latter having been noticed by 
former travelers, and Mr. Nelson informs me that it is quite common among the fur traders of the 
Upper Yukon, who attribute it to a [)lethoric condition brought about by an almost exclusive dit^t 
of animal food. 

Our hyiierborean nosology would be incomplete without some mention of nervous diseases, 
which late authorities assume to be one of the sequela} of civilization. They would, perhaps, 
come nearer the truth to ascribe them, as Dr. Draper has done, to the introduction and extension 
of that senseless and filthy habit, the use of tobacco. Mr. Petrofif informs me that hysteria, 
epilepsy, and paralysis are common diseases among the interior tribes, who also believe in and 
practice Shamanism. Instances of excessive nervousness have come under my notice, one of a man 
so shaky that his infirmity was a source of merriment to his companions. I treated one patient for 
insomnia and another for epilepsy. I saw also two cases of chorea, one each of paraplegia and 
of cerebral hemorrhage with hemiplegic symptoms (both at Point Barrow), one of suicidal mania, 
and I know of at least three deaths from cerebrospinal meningitis. 

To what cause a late authority would assign the existence of these diseases I am unable to say, 
but enough has been seen to convince that nervous diseases are not confined to civilized communi- 
ties, as many persons believe; and, indeed, a distinguished medical author, who sees in spiritual- 
ism a form of nervous derangement, might, after observing Shamanism au(Kits results, be in 
possession of enough neurological material for a new chapter in his work on that subject. 

GENERAIi REMARKS ON THE NORTHERN INHABITANTS. 

But it is from an anthropological point of view that the Eskimo coming under observation 
proved most interesting. The term Eskimo may be held to include all the Innuit population living 
on the Aleutian Islands, the islands of Bering Sea, and the shores both of Asia and America 
north of about latitude 64°. In this latitude on the American coast the ethnical points that differ- 
ence the North American Indian from the Eskimo are distinctly marked. It cannot, however, 
be said that the marks of distinction are so plain between the American Eskimo and the 
so-called Tsuchtschi of the Asiatic coast. I have been unable to see anything more in the way 
of distinction than exists between Englishmen and Danes, for instance, or between Norwegians and 
Swedes. Indeed, it may be said that much of the confusion and absurdity of classification found 
in ethnographic literature raaj' be traced to a tendency to see diversities where few or none exist. 
To the observant man of travel who has given the matter any attention, it seems that the most 
sensible classification is that of the ancient writers who divide humanity into tliree races, namely, 
wliite, yellow, and black. Cuvier adopted this di\ision, and the best contemporary British 
authority. Dr. Latham, also makes three groups, although he varies somewhat in details from 
Cuvier. In accordance with the nomenclature of Lojtham, the Eskimo may be spoken of as 
Hyperborean MongolidiB of essentially carnivorous and ichthyophagous habits, who have not yet 
emerged &om the hunting and fishing stage. 



28 CKUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

PHYSICA L A PPEA RA NCES. 

Their physical appearance and structure liaving been already described by others, it is unnec- 
essary to mention them here, except incidentally and by way of noting a few peculiarities tliat seem 
to have been heretofore overlooked or slightly touched upon l)y other writers. Altliough as a rule 
they are of short build, averaging about five feet seven inches, yet occasional exceptions were met 
with among the natives of Kotzebue Sound, many of whom were tall and of commanding appear- 
ance. At Cape Kruzenstern a man was seen who measured six feet six inches in height. This 
divergence I'rom the conventional Eskimo type, as usually described in the books, may have been 
caused by intermarriage with an iidand tribe of larger men from the interior of Alaska, Who come 
to the coast every summer for i)urposes of trade. 

The complexion, rarely a true white, but rather that of a Chinaman, with a healthy blash suffus- 
ing each cheek, is often of a browuish-yellow and sometimes quite black, as I have seen in several 
instances at Tapkau, Siberia. Nor was the broad and flat face and the small nose without excep- 
tion. In the vicinity of East Cape, the easternmost extremity of Asia, a few Eskimo were seen 
having distinctive Hebrew noses and a physiognomy of such a Jewish type as to excite the attention 
and comment of the sailors composing our crew ; others were noticed having a Milesian cast of 
features and looked like Irishmen, while others resembled several old mulatto men I know in 
Washington. However, the Mongoloid type in these people was so pronounced that our Japanese 
boys on meeting Eskimo for the first time took them for Chinamen; on the other hand the Japs 
were objects of great and constant curiosity to the Eskimo, who doubtless took them for compa- 
triots, a fact not to be wondered at, since there is such a similarity in the shape of the eyes, the 
complexion, and hair. In regard to the latter it maybe I'emarked that scarcely anything on board 
the Corwin excited greater wonder and merriment among the Eskimo than the jiresence of several 
persons whom Professor Huxley would classify in his Xanthocroic group because of their fiery red 
hair. 

The structure and arrangement of the hair having lately been proposed as a race characteristic 
upon which to base an ethnical classification, I took pains to collect various specimens of Innuit 
hair, which in conjunction with Dr. Kidder, U. S. N., I examined microscopically and compared 
with the hair of fair and blue-eyed persons, the hair of negroes, and as a matter of cui'iosity with 
the reindeer hair and the hair-like appendage found on the fringj' extremity of the baleen plates 
in the mouth of a "bowhead" whale. Some photomicrographs of these objects are shown in the 
accompanying illustrations. 

To the man willing and anxious to make more extended research into the matter of race charac- 
teristics, I venture to say that a northern experience will afibrd him ample opportunity for sui)ple- 
menting Mr. Murray's paper on the Ethnological Classification of Vermin ; and he may further 
observe that the Eskimo, whatever may be his religious belief or predilection, apparently observes 
the prohibitions of the Talmud in regard both to filth and getting rid of noxious entomological 
specimens that infest his body and habitation. 

Whatever modification the bodily structure of the Eskimo may have undergone under the influ- 
ence of physical and moral causes, when viewed in the light of transcendental anatomy, we find that 
the mode, plan, or model upon which his animal frame or organs are founded is substantially that 
of other varieties of men. 

Some writers go so far, in speaking of the Eskimo's correspondence, mental and physical, to his 
surroundings as to mention the seal as his correlative, which, in my opinion, is about as sensible 
as speaking of the reciprocal relations of a Cincinnati man and a hog. Unlike the seal, which 
is x)re-eminently an amphibian and a swimmer, the Eskimo has no physical capability of the latter 
kind, being unable to swim and ha\'ing the greatest aversion to water except for purposes of navi- 
gation. He wins our admiration from the expert management at sea of his little shuttle-shaped 
canoe, which is a kind of marine bicycle, but I doubt very much the soinei'saults he is reported to 
be able to turn in them. In fact, after offering i-ewards of that all-powerful incentive, tobacco, on 
numerous occasions, I have been unsuccessful in getting any one of them to attempt the feat, and 
when told that we had heard of their doing it they smiled rather incredulously. The Eskimo is 
clearly not a success in a cubistic or saltatorial line, as I have had ample opportunities to observe. 
They seem to be unable to do the simplest gymnastics, and were filled with the greatest delight 



Ha[«: Ai-EL-TiAN Eskimo. 
(75 diameters.) 



% 




# 



II Mil TIIWSVEKSE section; Al.fcLTlAN ESKIMO 
(75 tliuineters.) 



Jlclii)ty|>u I'rinliiij; Cii., Hoslon. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER OORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 29 

and astonislimeut at some exhibitions we gave them on several occasions. Receiving a challenge 
to run a foot-race with an Eskimo, I came off easy winner, although I was handicapped by being 
out of condition at the time ; a challenge to throw stones also resulted in the same kind of victory ; 
I shouldered and carried some logs of drift-wood that none of them could lift, and on another 
occasion the captain and I demonstrated the physical superiority of the Anglo-Saxon by throwing 
a walrus lance several lengths farther than any of the Eskimo who had i)rovoked the competition. 
As a rule they are deficient in biceps, and have not the well-developed muscles of athletic white 
men. The best musciUar development I saw was among the natives of Saint Lawrence Island, 
who, by the way, showed me a spot in a village where they practiced athletic sports, one of these 
diversions being lifting and " putting" heavy stones, and I have gracefully to acknowledge that 
a young Eskimo got the better of me in a competition of this kind. It is fair to assume that one 
reason for this physical superiority was the inexorable law of the survival of the fittest, the natiA'es 
in question being the survivors of a recent prevailing epidemic and famine. 

ESKIMO APPETITES. 

As ftir as my experience goes the Eskimo have not the enormous appetites with which they 
are usually accredited. The Eskimo who accompanied Lieutenant May, of the Nares Expedition, 
on his sledge journey, is reported to have been a small eater, and the only case of scurvy, by 
the way ; the Eskimo employed on board the Corwin as dog drivers and interpreters were as 
a rule smaller eaters than our own men, and I have observed, on numerous occasions, among 
the Eskimo I have visited, that instead of being great gluttons they are on the contrary mod- 
erate eaters. It is, perhaps, the revolting character of their food — rancid oil, a tray of hot 
seal entrails, a bowl of coagulated blood, for example — that causes overestimation of the quantity 
eaten. Persons in whom nausea and disgust are awakened at tripe, putrid game, and moldy and 
maggoty cheese affected by so-called epicures, nt)t to mention the bad oysters which George I 
preferred to fresh ones, would doubtless be prejudiced and incorrect observers as to the quantity 
of food an Eskimo might consume. From some acquaintance with the subject I, therefore, venture 
to say that the popular notion regarding the great appetite of the Eskimo is one of the current 
fallacies. The reported cases were probably exceptional ones happening in subjects who had been 
exercising and living on little else than frozen air for perhaps a week. Any vigorous man in the 
prime of life who has been shooting all day in the sharp, crisp air of the Arctic will be surprised 
at his gastronomic capabilities; and personal knowledge of some almost incredible instances 
among civilized men miglit be related, were it not for fear of being accused of transcending the 
bounds of veracity. 

OHIGIX JND DEVELOPMENT. 

There is so much about certain parts of Alaska to remind one of Scotland, that we wonder why 
some of the more southern Eskimo have not the intrepidity and vigor of Scotchmen, since they live 
under almost the same topographical conditions amid fogs and misty hills. Perhaps if they were 
fed on oatmeal, and could be made to adopt a few of the Scotch manners and customs, religious 
and otherwise, they might, after infinite ages of evolution, develop some of the qualities of that 
excellent race. It is probably not so very many generations ago that our British progenitors were 
like these original and primitive men as we find them in the vicinity of iJering Straits. Here the 
mind is taken back over centuries, aud one is enabled to study the link of transition between the 
primitive men of the two (jontinents at the spot where their geographical relations lead us to 
suspect it. Indeed the primitive man may be seen just as he was thousands. of years ago, by 
visiting the village perched, like the eyry of some wild bird, about 200 feet up the side of the cliff at 
East Cape on the Asiatic side of the Straits. This bold, rocky cliff, rising sheer from the sea to the 
height of 2,100 feet, consists of granite with lava here aud there, aud the indications point to the 
overflow of a vast ice sheet from the north, evidences of which are seen in the trend of the ridges on 
the top and the form of the narrow peninsula joining tlie cliff to the mainland. From the summit 
of the cape the Diomedes, Fairway Rock, and the American coast arc so easily seen that the 
view once taken would disjiel any doubts as to the possibility of the aborigiual denizens of America 
having crossed over from Asia, and it would require no such statement to corroborate the opinion 



30 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIX IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

as that of aa officer of tlie Hudsou Bay Company, then resident in Ungava Bay, who relates that 
in 1839 an Eskimo family crossed to Labrador from the northern shore of Hudson's Straits on a 
raft of drift-wood. Natives cross and recross Bering Straits to-day on the ice and in primitive 
skin canoes, not unlike Cape Cod dories, wliich have not been improved in construction since the 
days of prehistoric man. Indeed the primitive man may be seen at East Cape almost as he was 
thousands of years ago. Evolution and development, with the exception of firearms, seem to 
liave halted at East Cape. The place with its cave-like dwellings and skin-clad inhabitants, among 
whom the presence of white men creates the same excitement as the advent of a circus among the 
colored population of Washington, makes one fancy that he is in some grand prehistoric museum 
and that he has gone backward in time several thousand years in order to get there. 

While we may do something towards tracing the effects of physical agents on the Eskimo 
back into the darkness that antedates history, yet his geographical origin and his antiquity are 
things concerning which we know but little. Being subjects of iirst-class interest deserving of 
grave study and so vast in themselves, they cannot be touched upon here except incidentally. 
Attempting to study them is like following the labyi-inthal ice mazes of the Arctic in quest of 
the North Pole, and only ends in a wild-goose chase. 

We may, however, venture the assertion that the Eskimo is of autocthonic origin in Asia, but 
is not autocthonous in America. His anival there and subsequent migi-ations are beyond the 
reach of history or tradition. Others, though, contend from the analogy of some of the western 
tribes of Brazil, who are identical in feature to the Chinese, that the Eskimo may have come from 
South America ; and the fashion of wearing labrets, which is common to the indigenous population 
both of Chili and Alaska, has been cited as a further proof. 

Touching the subject of early migrations Mr. Charles Wolcott Brooks, whose sources of informa- 
tion have been exceptionally good, reports in a paper to the California Academy of Sciences 
a record of sixty Japanese junks, which were blown oft' the coast and by the influence of the 
Kuro-Shiwo were drifted or stranded on the coast of North America, or on the Hawaiian or 
adjacent islands. As merchant ships and ships of war are known to have been built in Japan 
prior to the Christian era, a great number of disabled junks containing small parties of Japanese 
must have been stranded on the Aleutian Islands and on the Alaskan coast in ijast centuries, 
thereby furnishing evidence of a constant infusion of Japanese blood among the coast tribes. 

Leaving aside any attempt to show the ethnical relations of these facts, the question naturally 
occurs whether any of these waifs ever found their way back from the American coast. On 
observing the course of the great circle of the Kuro-Shiwo and the course of the trade winds, one 
inclines to the belief that such a thing is not beyond the range of possibilitj'. Indeed, several 
well-authenticated instances are mentioned by Mr. Brooks ; and in connection with the subject he 
advances a further hypothesis, namely, tlie American origin of the Chinese race, and shows in a 
plausible way that^ — 

' ' The ancestrj' of China may have embarked iu large vessels as emigrants, perhaps from the vicinity of the Chincha 
Islands, or proceeded \^'ith a large fleet, like the early Chinese expedition against Japan, or that of Julius Caesar against 
Britain, or the Welsh Prince Madog and his party, who saUed from Ireland and landed in America A. D. 1170; and, in 
like manner, in the dateless antecedure of history, crossed from the neighborhood of Peru tor the country now known to us 
as China. ' ' 

If America be the oldest continent, paleoutologically speaking, as Agassiz tells us, there appears 
to be some reason for looking to it as the spot where early traces of the human race are to be found, 
and the fact would seem to warrant further study and investigation in connection with the indigenous 
people of our continent, thereby awakening new sources of inquiry among ethnologists. 

LINGUISTIC PECULIARITIES. 

The sienite plummet from San Joaquin Valley, California, goes back to the distant age of the 
Drift ; and the Calaveras skull, admitting its authenticity, goes back to the Pliocene epoch, and is 
older than the relics or stone implements from the drift gravel and the European caves. 

It is doubtful, though, whether these sources enable us to make generalizations equal iu value 
to those aftbrded by the study of vocabularies. It is alleged that linguistic affinities exist between 
some of the tribes of the American coast and our Oriental neighbors across the Pacific. Mr. Brooks, 



I 




Baleen Fkingi 
(75 diameters.) 



^ff 




Reindeer IIaik. 
(75 diamctcr>.) 



Heliotype Printing Co., Boston. 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWDf IN THE ARCTIC OCEAJf. 31 

whom I have already quoted, reports that in March, 1860, he took an Indian boy on board the 
Japanese steam-corvette Kanrin-maru, where a comparison of Coast-Indian and pure Japanese was 
made at his request by Funkuzawa Ukitchy, then admiral's secretary ; the result of which he 
prepared for the press and published with a view to suggest further linguistic investigation. 
He says that quite an infusion of Japanese words is found among some of the Coast tribes of Oregon 
and California, either pure or clipped, along with some very peculiar Japanese "idioms, construc- 
tions, honorific, separative, and agglutinative particles;" that shipwrecked Japanese are invariably 
enabled to communicate understandingly with the Coast Indians, although speaking quite a different 
language, and that many shipwrecked Japanese have informed him that they were enabled to 
co7nmunicate with and understand the natives of Atka and Adakh Islands of the Aleutian group. 

With a view to fludiug out whether any linguistic alfinity existed between Japanese and the 
Eskimo dialects in the vicinity of Bering Straits, I caused several Japanese boys, employed as 
servants on board the Corwin, to talk on numerous occasions to the natives, both of the American 
and Asiatic coasts; but in every instance they were unable to understand the Eskimo, and assured 
me that they could not detect a single word that bore any resemblance to words in their own 
lauguage. 

The study of the linguistic peculiarities which distinguish the population around Bering- 
Straits offers an untrodden path in a new field ; but it is doubtful whether the results, except to 
linguists like Cardinal Mezzofauti, or philologists of the Max Midler type, would be at all commen- 
surate with the efforts expended in this direction ; since it is asserted that the human voice is 
incapable of articulating more than twenty distinct sounds, tlierefore whatever resemblnaces there 
may be in the particular words of different languages are of no ethnic value. Although these may 
be the views of many persons not only in regard to the Eskimo tongue but in regard to philology 
in general, the matter has a wonderful fascination for more speculative minds. 

Much has been said about the affinity of language among the Eskimo — some asserting that it is 
such as to allow mutual intercourse everj^where — but instances warrant us in concluding that con- 
siderable deviations exist intheir vocabularies if not in the grammatical construction. For instance, 
take two words that one hears oftener than any others: On the Alaskan coast they say "na-koo- 
ruk," a word meaning "good," "all right," &c. ; on the Siberian coast "ma-zink-ah," while a vocab- 
ulary collected during Lieutenant Schwatka's expedition gives the word " mah-rank'-poo" for "good." 
The first two of these words are so characteristic of the tribes on the respective shores above the 
straits that a better desiguatioA than any yet given to them by writers on the subject would be 
yaJcoorools for the people on the American side and Mazinkahs for those on the Siberian coast. 
These names, by which they know each other, are in general use among the whalemen and were 
adopted by every one on board the Corwin. 

Again, on the American coast " Am-a-luk-tuk" signifies plentj-, while on the Srberian coast it 
is " Num-kuck-ee." " Tee-tee-tah " means needles in Siberia, in Alaska it is "mitkin." lu the 
latter place when asking for tobacco they say " te-ba-muk," while the Asiatics say " salopa." 
That a number of dialects exists around Bering Straits is apparent to the most superficial observer. 
The difference in the language becomes apparent after leaving Norton Sound. The interpreter we 
took from Saint Michael's could only with diificidty understand the natives at Point Barrow, while 
at Saint Lawrence Island and on the Asiatic side he could understand nothing at all. At East 
Cape we saw natives who, though apparently alike, did not understand one another's language. I 
saw the same thing at Cape Prince of Wales, the western extremity of the New World, whither a 
number of Eskimo from the Wankarem River, Siberia, had come to trade. Doubtless there is a 
community of origin in the Eskimo tongue, and these verbal divergencies may be owing to the 
want of written records to give fixity to the language, since languages resemble li%ing organisms 
by being in a state of continual change. Be that as it may, we know that this people has 
imported a number of words from coming in contact with another language, just as the French 
have incorporated into their speech "le steppeur," "I'outsider," "le high life," "le steeple chase," 
" le jockey club," &c. — words that have no correlatives in French — so the Eskimo has appi'opriated 
from the whalers words which, as verbal expressions of his ideation, are undoubtedly better than 
anything in his own tongue. One of these is " by and by," which he uses with the same frequency 
that a Spaniard does his favorite inaiianapor le manano. In this instance the words express the 



32 CRUISE OF STEAJVIER COKWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

state of developmeut and habits of thought — one the hizy improvidence of the Eskimo, and the 
other the "to-morrow" ot the Spaniard, who lias indulged that propensity- so far that his nation 
has become one of yesterday. 

The change of the Eskimo language, brought about by its coming in contact with another, forms 
an important element in its history, and has beeii mentioned by the older writers, also by Gilder, 
who reports a change in the language of the Iwillik Eskimo to have taken place since the advent 
among them of the white men. Among other peculiarities of their phraseology occurs the word 
"tanuk" signifying whiskey, and it is said to have originated with an old Eskimo emj)loyed by 
Moore as a guide an<l dog driver when he wintered in Plover l>ay. Every day about noon that 
personage was in the haVnt of taking his appetizer and usually said to the Eskimo, " Come, Joe, 
let's take our tonic." Like most of his countrymen, Joe was not slow to learn the meaning of the 
word, and to this day the firm hold "tanuk" has on the language is only equak^l by the thirst 
for the tiiiid which the name implies. Among tlie Asiatic Eskimo the word "um-muck" is com- 
mon for "rum," while "em-mik" means water. Even words brought by whalers from the South 
Sea Islands have obtained a footing, such as "kow-kow" for food, a word in general use, and 
"pow" for "no," or "not any." They also call their babies "pick-a-uee-nee," which to many i)er- 
.sous will suggest the Spanish word or. the southern negro idiom for "baby." The phrase "pick - 
a-nee-nee kowkow" is the usual formula iu begging food for their children. An Eskimo, having 
sold ns a reindeer, said it would be " maziukah kowkow" (good eating), and one windy day we 
were hauling the seine, and an Eskimo seeing its empty condition when pulled on to^the beach, 
said "'Pow' flsh ; bimeby 'pow' wind, plenty fish." 

The fluency with which some of these fellows speak a mixture of pigeon English and whale- 
man's jargon is (juite astonishing, and suggests the query whether their fluency results from the 
aggressiveness of the English or whether it is an e\ideuce of their aptitude! It seems wonderful 
how a people we are accustomed to look upon as ignorant, benighted, and undeveloped, can learn 
to talk English with a certain degree of fluency and intelligibility from the short intercourse held 
once a year with a few passing ships. How many "hoodlums" in San Francisco, for instance, 
learn anything of Norwegian or German from frequenting the wharves? How many "wharf rats" 
or stevedores in New York learn anything of these languages from similar intercourse? Or, for 
that matter, we may ask. How many New York pilots have acquired even the smallest modicum 
of French from boarding the steamers of the Compagnie G^nerale Transatlantique? 

From a few examples it will be seen that the usage followed by the Eskimo in its grammatical 
variations rests on the fixity of the radical sj'llable and upon the agglomeration of the different 
particles intended to modify the primitive sense of this root, that is to say upon the principle of 
agglutinative languages. One or two instances may suffice to show the agglutinate character of 
the language. Cancels "o-me-uk;" ship, "o-me-uk-puk;" steamer, "ome-uk-puk-ignelik;" and 
this composite mechanical structure reaches its climax in steam-launch, which they call " o-me-uk- 
puk-ignelik-pick- a- nee-nee." 

For snow and ice in their various forms there are also many words, which show further the 
polysynthetic structure of the language — a fact contrary to that primitive condition of speech 
where there are no inflections to indicate the relations of the words to each other. It will not do 
to omit "O-kee-chuck" from this enumeration — a word signifying trade, barter, or sale, and one 
most commonlj' heard among these people. When they wish to say a thing is bad they use 
" A-shn-ruk," and when disapproval is meant they say " pe-chuk." The latter word also ex])res.ses 
general negation. For instance, on looking into several unoccupied houses a native informs us 
" Innuit pechuk," meaning that the people are away or not at home; "Allopar" is cold, and 
" allopar pechuk " is hot. Persons fond of tracing resemblances may find in " Ignik " (fire) a 
similarity to the Latin ignis or the English "ignite," and from " Un-gi-doo-rulv" (big, huge) the 
transition down to " hunky-dory" is easy. Those who see a sort of complemental relation to each 
other of linguistic affinity and the confoi'mity in physical characters may infer from "Mikey-doo 
rook" (a term of endearment equivalent to "Mavourueeu" and used in addressing little children) 
that the inhabitants within the Polar Circle have something of the Emerald Isle about them. But 
no, they are not Irish, for when they are about to leave tlie ship or any other place for their houses 
they say "to-hum;" consequently they are Yankees. 



CEUISB OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 33 

I do not wish to be thought frivolous in my notions regarding the noble science of philology ; 
but when one considers the changes that language is constantly undergoing, the inability of the 
human voice to articulate more than twenty distinct sounds, and the wonderful amount of ingen- 
ious learning that has been wasted by philologists on trifling subjects, one is disposed to associate 
many of their deductions with the savage picture writing on Dighton Rock, the Cardiff Giant, and 
the old wind-mill at Newport. 

ESKIMO DIETETICS. 

Attempts to trace or discover the origin of races through supposed philological analogies do 
not possess the advantage of certainty afforded by the study of the means by which individuals of 
the race supply the continuous demands of the body with the nutriment necessary to maintain life 
and health. 

Everybody has heard of the seal, bear, walrus, and whale in connection with Eskimo dietetics, 
and doubtless the stomachs of most persons would levolt at the idea of eating these animals, the 
taste for which, by the way, is merely a matter of early education or individual preference, for 
there is no good reason why they should not be just as palatable to the northern appetite as pig, 
sheep, and beef are to the inhabitants of temperate latitudes. As food they renew the nitrogenous 
tissues, reconstruct the parts, and restore the functions of the Eskimo frame, prolong his existence, 
and produce the same animal contentment and joy as the more civilized viands of the white man's 
table. There are more palatable things than bear or eider-duck, yet I know many persons to 
whom snails, olive oil, a,Tn\ pate defois gras are more repugnant. A tray full of hot seal entrails, 
a bowl of coagulated blood, and putrid fish are not very inviting or lickerish to ordinary mortals, 
yet they have their analogue in the dish of some farmers who eat a preparation of pig's bowels 
known as "chitterlings," and in the blood-puddings and Limburger cheese of the Germans. 
Blubber-oil and whale are not very dainty dishes, yet consider how many families subsist on half- 
baked saleratus biscuits, salted pork, and oleomargarine. 

On the mess table of the fur company's establishment at Saint Paul Island, seal meat is a 
daily article of consumption, and from personal experience I can testify as to its palatability, 
although it reminded one of indifferent beef rather overdone. Hair seal and bear steaks were ou 
different occasions tried at the mess on board the Corwin, but everybody voted eider-duck and 
reindeer the preference. It is not so very long since that whale was a favorite article of diet in 
England and Holland, and Arctic whalemen still, to my personal knowledge, use the freshly tried 
oil in cooking ; for instance, in frying cakes, for which they say it answers the purpose as well as 
the finest lard, while others breakfast on whale and potatoes prepared after the manner of codfish 
balls. The whale I have tasted is lather insipid eating, yet it appears to be highly nutri- 
tious, judging from the well-nourished look of natives who have lived on it, and the air of greasy 
abundance and happy contentment that pervades an Eskimo village just after the capture of a 
whale. Being ashore one day with our pilot, we met a native woman whom he recognized as a 
former acquaintance, and on remarking to her that she had picked up in flesh since he last saw 
her, she rt^plied that she had been living on whale all the winter, which explained her plumpness. 

It must not be supposed, however, that the whale, seal, and walrus constitute the entire food 
supply of |he Arctic. There is scarcely any more toothsome delicacy than reindeer, the tongue of 
which is very dainty and succulent. There is one peculiarity about its flesh — in order to have it 
in perfection it must be eaten very soon after being killed ; the sooner the better, for it deteriorates 
in flavor the longer it is kei)t. Indeed, the Eskimo do not wait for the animal heat to leave the 
carcass, as they eat the brains and paunch hot and smoking. 

While our gastronomic enthusiasm did not extend this far, we dined occasionally on fresh 
trout from a Siberian mountain lake, young wild ducks as fat as squabs, and reindeer, any of 
which delicacies could not be had in the same perfection at Delmonico's or any similar establish- 
ment in New York for love or money. There is scarcely any better eating in the way of fish than 
coregoHus — a new species discovered at Point Barrow by the Corwin — and certainly no more dainty 
game exists than the young wild geese and ptarmigan to be found in countless numbers in 
Hotham Inlet. At the latter place, doubtless the warmest inside the Straits, are found quantities 
of cranberries about the size of a pea, which not only make a delicious accessory to roasted goose, 
H. Ex. 105 5 



34 CRUISE OF STEAiMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

but act as a valuable antiscorbutic. These berries, and a kind of kel|), which I have seen Eskimo 
eating at Tapkan, Siberia, seem to be the only vegetable food tliey have. The large quantities 
of eggs easily procurable, but iu most cases doubtful, also constitute a standard article of diet 
among these people, who have no scruples about eating them partly hatched. They seemed never 
to comprehend our fastidiousness in the matter and why our tastes ditt'ered so much from theirs 
in this respect. The^' will break an egg containing an embryonic duck or goose, extract the bird 
by one leg and devour it with all the relish of an epicure. Gull's eggs, however, are in disrepute 
among them, for the women — who, by the way, have the same frailties and weakness as their more 
civilized sisters — believe that eating gulls' eggs causes loss of beauty and brings on early decrepi- 
tude. The men, on the other hand, are fond of seal eyes, a tid-bit which the women believe 
increases their amorousness, and feed to their lords after the manner of "Open your mouth and 
shut your eyes." 

Game is as a rule very tame, and during the moulting season, when the geese are unable to 
fly, it is quite possible to kill them with a stick. At one place, Cape Thompson, Eskimo were seen 
catching birds from a high cliif with a kind of scoop net, and I saw birds at Herald Island refuse 
to move when pelted with stones, so unaccustomed were they to the presence of man. In addi- 
tion to being very tame, game is plentiful, and not an uncommon sight, off the Siberian coast, were 
flocks of eider ducks darkening the air and occupying several hours in passing overhead. It was 
novel sport to see the natives throw a projectile known as an *' apluketat" into one of these 
flocks with astonishing range and accuracy, bringing down the game with the effectiveness of a 
shotgun. 

Game keeps so well in the Arctic that an instance is known of its being perfectly sweet and 
sound on an English ship after two years' keeping, and whalemen kill a number of pigs, which 
they hang in the rigging and keep for use during the cruise. It is also noticeable that leather 
articles do not mildew as they generally do at sea, some shoes kept in a locker on board the 
Corwiu having retained their polish during the entire cruise. 

The food of the Eskimo satisfies their instinctive craving for a hydrocarbon, but they do not 
allow themselves to be much disturbed or distracted in its preparation, as most of it is eaten raw. 
They occasionally boil their food, however, and some of them have learned the use of flour and 
molasses, of which they are very fond. 

Their aversion to salt is a very marked peculiarity, and they will not eat either corned beef or 
pork on this account. It may be that physiological reasons exist for this dislike. 

SOCIAL AND D03IESTIC RELATIONS. 

Omitting other ethnographic facts relative to the Eskimo, which might be treated in a system- 
atic way except for their triteness, we i)ass from the means of the renewal of the animal economy 
to its reproduution. Courtship and marriage, which, it is said, are conducted in the most unsenti- 
mental manner possible, are for that reason not to be discussed; and for obvious reasons many of 
the prenatal conditions cannot here be dwelt u[)on. Having never witnessed the act of parturition 
in an Eskimo my knowledge of the subject is merely second-hand, and consequently not worth 
detailing. It api)ears, though, that parturition is a function easily performed among them, and 
that it is unattended by the postpartem accidents common to civilization. As a rule the women 
are unprolitic,it being uncommon to (ind a family numbering over three ciiildren,and the mortality 
among the new born is excessive,',owiug to the ignorance and neglect of the ordinary rules of hygiene. 
They seem, however, to be kind to their children, who in respect to crying do not show the same 
peevishness as seen iu our nurseries ; indeed, the social and demonstrative good nature of the race 
seems to crop out even iu babyhood, as 1 have often witnessed under such (urcumstances as a baby 
enveloped in furs in a skin canoe which lay along side the ship during a snow storm ; its tiny 
hands protruding held a i)iece of blubber, which it sucked with apparent relish, the unique picture 
of happy contentment. It was quick to feel itself an object of attraction, and its chubby face 
returned any number of smiles of recognition. 

The manner of carrying the infant is contrary to that of civilized custom. It is borne on the 
back under the clothes of the mother, which form a poucii, and from which its tiny head is gen- 
erally visible over one or the other shoulder, but on being observed by strangers it shrinks like a 






m 



"•>- • ■ ^^T^^ 



>^. 



^i*^ 



-*ri 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN, 35 

snail or a niarsui)lan into it.s snus- retreat. Wlien tlie motlier wants to remove it she bends forward, 
at the same time passing- Iut left hand nj) the back under her garments, and seizing the child by 
the feet, pnlls it downward to the left; then, passing the right hand under the front of the dress, 
she again seizes the teet and extracts it by a kind of pedalic delivery. Another common way of 
carrying children is astride the neck. The subject is one that the Chuckchii artist often carves in 
ivory. 

The i>lay-impulse manifests itself among these people in various ways. They have such 
mimetic objects as dolls, miniature boats, &c. I have seen a group of boys, sailing toy boats in a 
pond, behave under the circumstances just as a similar grouj) has been observed to do at I'roviuce- 
town. Cape Cod, and the same act, as performed iu the Frog Pond of the Boston Common, may be 
called only a differentiated form of the same tendency. Their dolls, of ivory and clothed with fur, 
seem to answer the same purpose that they do in civilized communities — namely, the amusement 
of little girls — for at one place where we landed a number of Eskimo girls, stopping play on our 
approach, sat their dolls up in a row, evidently with a view to .give the dolls a better look at the 
strange visitors. Spinning t<)i)s, essentially Eskimo and unique in their character, are held in the 
hand while spinning; on the Siberian Coast foot ball is played, and among other questionable 
things acquired from contact with the whalemen, a knowledge of card playing exists. We were 
very often asked for cards, and at one place where we stopped and bartered a number of small 
articles with the natives they gave evidence of their aptitude at gaming. The game being started, 
with the bartered articles as stakes, one fellow soon scooped in everything, leaving the others to 
go off dead broke amid the ridicule of some of our crew, and doubtless feeling worse than dead, 
for among no jieople that I have seen, not even the French, does ridicule so eifectually kill. 

PERSONAL ORNAMENTATION. 

Among the means taken by these people to produce personal ornamentation that of tattooing 
the face and wearing a labret is the most noticeable. The custom of tattooing having existed from 
the earliest historical epochs is important not only from an ethnological but from a medical and 
pathological point of view, and even in its relation to medical jurisprudence in cases of contested 
personal identity. 

Without going into the history of the subject, it may not be irrelevant to mention that 
tattooing was condemned by the Fathers of the Church, TertuUian among others, who gives the 
following rather singular reason for interdicting its use among women: "Certi sumus Spiritum 
Sanctum magis masculis tale aliquid subscribere potuisse si feminis snbscripsisset."* 

In addition to much that has been written by Fiench and German writers, the matter of tattoo- 
marks has of late claimed the attention of the law courts of England, the chief-justice, Cockburn, 
in theTichbourne case, having described this species of evidence as of " vital importance," and in 
itself final and conclusive. The absence of the tattoo-marks in this case justified the jury in their 
finding that the defendant was not and could not be Roger Tichbourne, whereupon the alleged 
claimant was proved to be an impostor, found guilty of perjury, and sentenced to penal servitude, t 

The accompanying representations, showing extensive markings on different i)arts of the t)ody, 
are from photographs obtained in Japan. 

Why the ancient habit of tattooing should prevail so extensively among some of the primitive 
tribes as it does, for instance, in the Polynesian Islands and some parts of Japan, and we may 
say as a survival of a superstitious practice of paganism among sailors and others, is a psycho- 
logical problem difficult to solve. Whether it be owing to perversion of the sexual instinct, which 
is not unlikely, or to other cause, it is not proposed to discuss. Be that as it may, the prevalence 
of the habit among the Eskimo is confined to the female sex, who are tatooed on arriving at the 
age of puberty. The women of Saint Lawrence Island, in addition to lines on the nose, forehead, 
and chin, have uniformly a figure of strange design on the cheeks, which is suggestive of cabalistic 
import. It could not be ascertained, however, whether such was the case. The lines drawn 
on the chin were exactly like the ones I have seen on Moorish women in Morocco. Another 



* De Virginibus velandis. Lutetiae Parisiorum, leTSf., p. 178. 

fSee Guy's HospiUil Report, XIX, 1874; also "Histoire M^dicale du Tatouage," in Archives de Mi5decine Navale, 
Tom. 11 et 12, Paris, 1869. 



36 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



outlandish attempt at adornment was witnessed at Cape Blossom in a woman who wore a 
bunch of colored beads suspended from the septum of her nose. These habits, however, hardly 
seem so revolting as the use of the labret by the "Mazinka" men on the American coast, of 




/;:^-y :,: 








style of personal ornamentation adopted l)y the women of Saint I«iT\Tence Island. 

whom it is related that a sailor seeing one of them for the first time, and observing the slit in the 
lower lip through which the native thrust his tongue, thought be had discovered a man with two 
mouths. The use of the labret, like many of the attempts at primitive ornamentation, is very 
old, it having been traced by Dall along the American Coast ft'om the lower jiart of Chili to 
Alaska. Persons fond of tracing vestiges of savage ornamentation amid intellectual advancement 
and aesthetic sensibility far in advance of the primitive man, may observe in the wearers of 
bangles and ear-rings the same tendency existing in a differentiated form. 

DIVEESIONS. 

I doubt whether Shakespeare's dictum in regard to music holds good when applied to the 
Eskimo, for they have but little music in their souls, and among no people is there such a notice- 
able absence of " treason, stratagem, and spoil." A rude drum aud a monotonous chant consisting 
only of the fundamental note aud minor third, are the only things in the way of music among the 
more remote settlements of which I have any knowledge. Mrs. Micawber's singing has been 
described as the table beer of acoustics. Eskimo singing is something more. The beer has become 
flat by the addition of ice. One of our engineers, who is quite a fiddler, exi)eriinented on his 
instrument with a view to see what effect music would have on the "savage breast," but his 
best efforts at rendering Madame Augot and the Grande Duchesse were wasted before an unsj'ui- 
pathetic audience, who showed as little appreciation of his performance as some peoi)le do when 
listening to Wagner's " Music of the Future." 

Where they have come in contact with civilization, their musical taste is more developed. At 
Saint Michael's I was told that some of their songs are so characteristic that it is much to be 
regretted that some of them cannot be bottled up in a phonograph and sent to a musical composer. 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. - 37 

On the coast of Siberia I heard an Eskimo boy sinjj correctly a song he had learned while on board 
a whaling vessel, and oii several of the Aleutian Islands the natives play the accordion quite well, 
have music-boxes, and even whistle strains from l^inafore. 

From music to dancing the transition is obvious, no matter whether the latter be regarded in 
a Darwinian sense as a device to attract the opposite sex or as the expression of joyous excitement. 
This manifestation of feeling iu its bodily discharge, which Moses and Miriam and David indulged 
in, which is ranked with poetry by Aristotle, and which old Homer says is the sweetest and most 
perfect of human enjoyments, is'a pastime much in vogue among the Eskimo, and it required but 
little provocation to start a dance at any time on the Corwin's decks wiien a party happened to be 
on board. Their dancing, however, had not the cadence of " a wave of the sea," nor was there the 
harmony of double rotation circling in a series of graceful curves to strains like those of Strauss 
or Gungl. On the contrary, there was something saltatorial and jerky about all the dancing I saw both 
among the meu and women. It is the custom at some of their gatherings, after the hunting season 
is over, for the men to indulge in a kind of terpsichorean performance, at the same time relating 
in Homeric style the heroic deeds they have done. At other times the women, more decollete 
than our beauties at the German, for they strip to the waist, do all the daucing, and the men take 
the part of spectators only in this choregraphical performance. 

ART INSTINCT. 

The aptitude shown by Eskimo iu carving and drawing has been noticed by all travellers among 
them. Some I have met with show a degree of iutelligence aud ai>preciation in regai'd to charts 
and pictures scarcely to be expected from such a source. From walrus ivory they sculpture figures 
of birds, quadnipeds, marine animals, and even the human form, which display considerable indi- 
\iduality notwithstanding their crude delineation and imperfect detail. I have also seen a fair 
carving of a whale in plumbago. Evidences of decoration are sometimes seen on their canoes, on 
which are found rude pictures of walruses, &c., and they have a kind of picture-writing by means 
of which they commemorate certain events in their lives, just as Sitting Bull has done in an auto- 
biography that may be seen at the Army Medical Museum. 

When we were searching for the missing whalers off the Siberian Coast some natives were come 
across with whom we were unable to communicate except by signs, and wishing to let them know 
the object of our visit, a ship was drawn in a note-book aud shown to them with accompanying 
gesticulations, which they quickly comprehended, and one fellow, takiug the pencil and notebook, 
drew correctly a pair of reindeer horns on the shii)'s jibboam — a fact which identified beyond doubt 
the derelict vessel they had seen. M Point Hope an Eskimo, who had allowed us to take sketches 
of him, desired to sketch one of the party, and takiug one of our note-books aud a pencil, neither 
of which he ever had in his hand before, produced the accompanying likeness of Professor Muir: 
At Saint Michael's there is an Eskimo boy who draws remarkably well, having 
taught himself by copying from the Illustrated Loudon News. He made a correct 
l)en-aud-ink drawing of the Corwin, and another of the group of buildings at Saint 
Michael's, which, though creditable iu many respects, had the defect of many Chinese 
pictures, being faulty in perspective. As these drawings ecpml those in Dr. Rink's 
book, done by Greenland artists, I regret my inability to reproduce them here. 
)As evidences of culture they show more advancemeut than the carvings of English 
rustics that a clergyman has caused to be placed on exhibition at the Kensington 
Museum. 

Sir John Ross speaks highly of his iutcr])reter as an artist; Beechy says that 
the knowledge of the coast obtained by him from Innuit mai)s was of the greatest value, while Hall 
and others show their geographical knowledge to be as perfect as that possible of attain?nent by 
civilized meu unaided by instruments. 1 had frequent opportuuities to observe these Eskimo ideas 
of chartography. They not only understood reading a chart of the coast when showed to them, but 
would make tracings of the unexplored part, as I knew a uati ve to do in the case of an Alaskan- river, 
the mouth only of which was laid down on our chart. 

Manifestation of the plastic art, which is found among tribes less intelligent, is rare among the 




I 



38 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

Eskimo In fact, the only thing of the kind seen was some rude pottery at Saint Lawrence Island, 
tlie (lesifrn of which showed but crude development of ornamental i<ieas. The same state of 
aivancemeut was shown iu some drinking cups carved from mammoth ivory and a dipper made 
from the horu of a mountain sheei). 

COMB A TI V EN ESS. 

In one of the acts of Shakespeare's Seven Ages the Eskimo plays a very unimportant role. 
Perhaps in no other race is the combative instinct less jjredouiinaHt; in none is quarreling, fierce- 
ness of disposition, and jealousy more conspicuously absent, and in none does the desire for the 
factitious renown of war exist iu a more rudimentary and undeveloped state. Perhaps the 
constant fight with cold and hunger is a compensation which must account tor the absence of 
such unmitigated evils as war, taxes, complex social organization, : iid hierarchy among the 
curious people of the icy north. The i)nrsuits of peace and of simple patriarchal lives, notwith- 
standing the fact that much iu connection therewith is wretched and forbidding to a civilized 
man, seem to beget in these people a degree of domestic tranquillity and contentment which, 
united to their light-hearted and cheery disposition, is an additional reason for believing the sum 
of human happiness to be constant throughout the world. 

MENTAL CHARACTER AND CAPACITY. 

The intellectual character of the Eskimo, judging from the information which various travellers 
have furnished, as well as my personal knowledge, produces more than a feeble belief in the 
possibility of their being equal to anything they choose to take an interest iu learning. The Eskimo 
is not "muffled imbecility," as some one has called him, nor is he dull and slow of understanding, 
as Vitruvius describes the northern nation to be "from breathing a thick air" — which, by the 
way, is thin, elastic, and Iiighly ozonized — nor is he, according to Dr. Beke, "degenerated almost 
to the lowest state compatible with the retention of rational endowments." On the contrary, the 
old Greenland missionary, Hans Egede, writes : "I have found some of them witty enough and of 
good capacity ;" Sir Martin Frobisher says they are " in nature very subtle and sharp-witted ;" 
Sir Edward Parry, while extolling their honesty and good nature, adds, " Indeed, it required no 
long acquaintance to convince us that art and education might easily have made them equal or 
superior to ourselves;" Saner tells of a woman who learned to speak Russian fluently in rather 
less than twelve months, and Beechy and others have acknowledged the intelligent help tbey 
have received from Eskimo in making their explorations. 

Before going further, it may not be amiss to speak in a general way of the bony covering which 
protects the organ whose function it is to geuerate the vibrations known as thought. Of one 
hundred crania, collected principally at Saint Lawrence Island, a number were examined by meat 
the Army Medical Museum, through the courtesy of Dr. Huntington, with the result of changing 
and greatly modifying some of the previous notions of the conventional Eskimo skull as acquired 
from books on craniology. Perhaps after the inspection and examination of a large collection of 
crania it may be safe to pronounce upon their differential character; but whether the difi'erences in 
couiignration are constant or only occasional manifestations admits of as much doubt as the 
exceptions iu Professor Sophocles's Greek grammar, which are often coextensive with the rule.* 

The typical Eskimo skull, according to i)opular notion, is one exhibiting a low order of intelli- 
gence, and characterized by small brain capacity, with great prominence of the superciliary ridges, 
occipital protuberance, and zygomatic arches, the latter projecting beyond the geueral contour of 
the skull like the handles of a jar or a peach basket ; and lines drawn from the most projecting 
part of the arches and touching the sides of the frontal bone are supposed to meet over the forehead, 
forming a triangle, for which reason the skull is known as pyramidal. 

The first specimen, examined from a vertical view, shows something of the typical character 
as figured in A, and when viewed posteriorly there is noticed a flattening of the parietal walls with 
an elongated vertex as shown in D ; while a second si)ecimeu, represeuteil by B, shows none of the 
foregoing characteristics, the form being elongated and the parietal walls so far overhanging as to 
conceal the zygomatic arches in the vertical view, so that if lines be drawn as previously men- 
*See Retziua, Finska Kramer, Stockholm: 1878. 




^>^A. 



^'' fv^^i 




CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWI^ST IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



39 



tioned, instead of forming a triangle they may, like the asymptotes of a parabola, be extended to 
infinity and never meet: 






For purposes of comparison a number of orthographic outlines, showing the contour of civil- 
ized crania from a vertical point of observation, are herewith annexed. No. 1 is that of an eminent 
mathematician who committed suicide; No. 2, a prominent politician dui'ing the civil war; No. 3, 
a banker ; and No. 4, a notorious assassin. Nos. 5 and 6 are negro skulls. Further comparison 
may be made with the Jewish skull, as represented in No. 7, in which the nasal bones project so 
far beyond the general contour as to form a bird-like appendage: 

A collection of Aleutian heads, as seen from a vertical point of observation, when I looked 
down from the gallery of the little Greek church at Ounalaska, presented at first sight certain 
collective characters by which they approach one another. But anatomists know that a careful 
comparison of any collection will show extremely salient ditterences. In fact, individual differ- 
ences, so numerous and so irregular as to prevent methodical enumeration, constitute the stumbling- 
block of ethnic craniology. Take, for instance, a number of the skulls under consideration : in 
proportions they will be found to present very considerable variations among themselves. The 
skulls figured by A and B are respectively brachycephalic and dolich()(!ei)halic. The former has 
an internal capacity of 1,400, the latter 1,214 cubic centimeters ; bnt the facial angle of each is 80°, 
and in one Eskimo cranium it runs up to 84°. If the facial angle be trustworthy, as a measure of 
the degree of intelligence, we have shown here a development far hi excess of the negro, which is 
placed at 70°, or of the Mongolian at 75°, and exceeding that observed by me in many German 



40 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



skulls, which do not as a rule come up to the 90° of Jupiter Tonans or of Cuvier, in spite of the 
boasted intelligence of that nationality. 




«2Va»d^ 




In none of the skulls of the collection is there ob.servable the heavy supercili.iry ridges alleged 
to be common in lower races, bat which exist in many of the best-formed European crauiii — shall 
we say as anomalies or as individual variations'? Nor is the convexity of the squanio-parietal 
suture such as characterizes the low-typed cranium of the chimpanzee or of the Mound Builder. 
On the contrary, the orbits are cleanly made and tlie suture is well curved. Besides, a low degree 
of intelligence is not shown by observing the index of the foramen magnum, which is about the 
same as that found in European crania; and the same may be said of the internal capacity of the 
cranium. To illustrate the latter remark is appended a tabular statement made up from Welcker, 
Broca, Aitken, and Meigs: 

Cubic ceiitinaeters. 

Australian 1,228 

Polynesian 1,230 

Hottentot 1,230 

Mexican 1,296 

Malay 1, 328 

Ancient Peruvian 1,361 

French 1,403 to 1,461 

German 1, 448 

English 1,572 

An average of the Eskimo skulls, some of which measure as much as 1,650 and 1,715 c. c, 
will show the brain capacity to be the same as that of the Fren(!h or of the Germans. None of 
tliem, however, approaches the anomalous capacities of two Indian skulls on exhibition at the Army 
Medical Museum, one of which shows 1,785 c. c, and the other the unprecedented measurement of 
1,920 c. c. 



CEUISE OF STEAMER OOEWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



41 




H. Ex. 105 6 



42 CRUISE OF STEAMEE OOEWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

If the foregoing means for estimating tlie mental grasp and capacity for improvement be 
correct, then we must accord to the most northern nation of the globe a fair degree of brain 
energy — potential though it be. Aside from the mere ])hy.si<;al methods of determining the degree 
of intelligence it is urged by some writers, among them the historian Robertson, that tact in 
commerce and correct ideas of property are evidence of a considerable progress toward civilization. 
The natural inference from this is that they are tests of intellectual power, since mind is a combi- 
nation of all the actual and possible states of consciousness of the organism, and an examination 
of the Eskimo system of trade draws its own conclusion. Tlieir fondness for trade has been known 
for a long time, as well as the extended range of their commercial intercourse. They trade with 
the Indians, with the fur com])anies, the whalers, and among themselves across Bering Straits. 
Many of them are veritable Shylocks, having a thorough comprehension of the axiom in political 
economy regarding the regulation of the price of a thing by the demand. 

THE MORAL HENSE AND THE RELIGIOUS INSTINCT. 

With the aptitudes and instincts of our common humanity Eskimo morals, as manifested in 
truth, right, and virtue, also admit of remark. Except where these people have had the bad 
example of the white man, whose vices they have imitated not on account of defective moral nature 
but because they saw few or no virtues, they are models of truthfulness and honesty. In fsict 
their virtues in this respect are something phenomenal. The same cannot be said, however, for 
their sexual morals, which as a rule are the contrary of good. Even a short stay among the 
hyperboreans causes one to smile at Lord Kames's "frigidity of the North Americans" and at the 
fallacy of Herder who says, " the blood of man near the pole circulates but slowly, the heart beats 
but languidly ; consequently the married live chastely, the women almost require compulsion to 
take upon them the troubles of a married life," &c. Nearly the same idea, expressed by Montes- 
quieu, and repeated by Byron in " happy the nations of the moral north," are statements so at 
variance with our experience that this fact must alone excuse a retwence to the subject. So far 
are they from applying to the people in question, that it is only necessary to mention, without 
going into detail, that the women are freely ofiered to strangers by way of hospitality, showing a 
decided preference for white men, whom they believe to beget better oifspring than their own 
men. In this connection one is soon convinced that salacious and prurient tastes are not the 
exclusive privilege of people living outside of the Arctic Circle; and observation favors the belief 
in the existence of pederasty among Eskimo, if one may be allowed to judge from circumstances, 
which it is not necessary to particularize, and fi-om a word in their language signifying the act. 

Since morality is the last virtue acquired by man and the first one he is likely to lose, it is 
not so surprising to find outrages on morals among the undeveloped inhabitants of the north as it 
is to find them in intelligent Christian communities among people whose moral sense ought to be 
far above that of the average primitive man in view of their associations and the variations that 
have been so frequently repeated and accumulated by heredity ; and where there is no hierarchy 
nor established missionaries it is still more surj)rising to find any moral sense at all among a 
people whose vague religious belief does not extend beyond Shamanism or Animism, which to them 
explains the more strange and striking natural phenomena by the hypothesis of direct spiritual 
agency. 

It must not be understood by this, however, that these people have no religion, as many 
travellers have erroneously believed ; that would be almost equivalent to stating thnt races of 
men exist without speech, memory, or knowledge of fire. A purely ethnological view of religion 
which I'egards it as " the feeling which falls upon man in tiie presence of the unknown," favors 
the idea that the children of the icy north have many of the same feelings in this respect as those 
experienced by ourselves under similar conditions, although there is doubtless a change iu us 
produced by more advanced thought and nicer feeling. On the other hand, liow many habits and 
ideas that are senseless and perfectly unexplainable by the light of our present modes of life and 
thought can be explained by similar customs and prejudices existing among these distant tribes. 
Is there no fragment of primitive superstition or residue of bygone ages in the sujjposed influence 
of the "Evil Eye" in Ireland, or iu the habit of "telling tlie bees" in Germany ? Is there not 
something of intellectual fossildom iu the popular notion about Friday and thirteen at table, and 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 43 

in the ancient rite of exorcising oppressed persona, houses, and other places supposed to be haunted 
by unwelcome spirits, the form for which is still retained in the Roman ritual? And is not our 
enlightened America " the land of spiritualists, mesmerism, soothsaying, and mystical congre- 
gations " ? 

When the native of Saint Michael's invokes the moon, or the native of Point Barrow his crude 
images previously to hunting the seal, in order to bring good luck, is not the mental and emotional 
impulse the same as that which actuates more civilized men to look upon " outward signs of an 
inward and spiritual grace," or not to start upon any important undertaking without first invoking 
the blessing of Deity ? And are not the rites observed by the natives on the Siberian coast, when 
the first walrus is caught, the counterpart of our Puritan Thanksgiving Day ? 

Perhaps the untutored Eskimo has the same fear of the dangerous and terrible, the unknown, 
the infinite, as ourselves, and parts with life just as reluctantly ; but it cannot be said that our 
observation favors the fact of his longevity, although long life seems to prevail among some of 
the circumpolar tribes, the Laps, for instance, who, according to Schefifer, in spite of hard lives 
enjoy good health, are long lived, and still alert at eighty and ninety years. — (De Medecina 
Laponum.) 

Owing to his hard life, the conflict with his circumstances, and his want of foresight, the 
Eskimo soon becomes a physiological bankrupt, and his stock of vitality being exhausted, his 
bodily remains are covered with, stones, around which are placed wooden masks and articles that 
have been useful to him during life, as I have seen at Nounivak Island, or they are covered with 
drift wood as observed in Kotzebue Sound, or as at Tapkau, Siberia, where the corpse is 
lashed to a long pole and is taken some distance from the village, when the clothes are 
stripped off, placed on the ground and covered with stones. The cadaver is then exposed in the 
open air to the tender mercies of crows, foxes, and wolves. The weapons and other personal 
effects of the decedent are placed near by, probably with something of the same sentiment that 
causes us to use chaplets of flowers and immortelles as funeral ofiferings — a custom that Schiller 
has commemorated in "Bringet hier die letzen Gaben." 

The future destiny of these people is a question in which the theologian and politician are not 
less interested than the man of science. Some observers seem to think that their numbers are 
diminishing under the evil influence of so-called civilization. But as every race participates in 
the same moral nature, and the entire history of humanity, according to Herder, is a series of 
events pointing to a higher destiny than has yet been revealed, there is no reason why the sum of 
human happiness, under proper auspices, should not be increased among the Innuit race. Arch- 
deacon Kirkby, a Church-of-England clergyman who has lately visited them in a missionary 
capacity as far as Boothia, speaks in the highest terms of their intelligence and capacity for 
improvement. Here then is a brilliant opportunity for some one full of propagandism and charity 
to imitate the acts of the modern Apostles, and extend the influence of civilization to the gay, lively, 
curious, and talkative hyperboreans whose home is under the midnight sun and on the borders of 
the Icy Sea. 



BOTANICAL NOTES ON ALASKA 



JOHN MUIR. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 

By John Muir. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

The plants named in the following notes were collected at many localities on the coasts of 
Alaska and Siberia, and on Saint Lawrence, Wrangel, and Herald Islands, between about latitude 
54° and 71°, longitude 161° and 178°, in the course of short excursions, some of them less than an 
hour in length. 

Inasmuch as the flora of the arctic and subarctic regions is nearly the same everywhere, tlie 
discovery of many species new to science was not to be expected. The collection, however, will 
no doubt be valuable for comparison with the plants of other regions. 

In general the physiognomy of the vegetation of the polar regions resembles that of the alpine 
valleys of the temperate zones; so much so that the botanist on the coast of Artie Siberia or 
America might readily fancy himself on the Sierra Nevada at a height of 10,000 to 12,000 feet 
above the sea. 

There is no line of perpetual snow on any portion of the arctic regions known to explorers. 
The snow disappears every summer not oidy from tlie low sandy shores and boggy tundras but 
also from the tops of the mountains and all the upper slopes and valleys with the exception of 
small patches of drifts and avalanche-heaps hardly noticeable in general views. But though 
nowhere excessively deep or permanent, the snow-mantle is universal during wiuter, and the 
plants are solidly frozen and buried for nearly three-fourths of the year. In this condition they 
enjoy a sleep and rest about as profound as death, from which they awake in the mouths of June and 
July in vigorous health, and speedily reach a far higher development of leaf and flower and fruit 
than is generally supposed. On the drier banks and hills about Kotzebue Sound, Cape Thompson, 
and Cape Lisbourne many species show but little climatic repression, and during the long summer 
days grow tall enough to wave in the wind, and unfold flowers in as rich profusion and as highly 
colored as may be found in regions lying a thousand miles farther south. 

OUNALASKA. 

To the botanist approaching ajiy portion of the Aleutian chain of islands from the southward 
during the winter or spring months, the view is severely desolate and forbidding. The snow comes 
down to the water's edge in solid white, interrupted only by dark outstanding bluffs with faces too 
steep for snow to lie on, and by the backs of rounded rocks and long rugged reefs beaten and 
overswept by heavy breakers rolling in from the Pacific, while throughout neai'ly every mouth 
of the year the higher mountains are wrapped in gloomy dripping storm-clouds. 

Nevertheless vegetation here is remarkably close and luxuriant, and crowded with showy 
bloom, covering almost every foot of the ground up to a height of about a thousand feet above 
the sea — the harsh trachytic rocks, and even the cindery bases of the craters, as well as the 
moraines and rough soil beds outspread on the low portions of the short narrow valleys. 

On the 20th of May we found the showy Geum glaciale already in flower, also an arctostaphylos 
and draba, on a slope facing the south, near the harbor of Ounalaska. The willows, too, were tlien 
begiuning to put forth their catkins, while a multitude of green points were springing up in 
sheltered spots wherever the snow had vanished. At a height of 400 and 500 feet, however, 
winter was still unbroken, with scarce a memory of the rich bloom of summer. 

47 



48 CRUISE OF STEAIHER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

During a few short excursious along the shores of Ouualaska Harbor and on two of the adjaoeut 
mountains, towards the end of May and beginuiug of October we saw about fifty species of flowering 
plants — eiupetruni,vacciniuin, bryautlius, pyrola, arctostaphylos, ledum, cassiope, iupinus, zeranium, 
epilobium, silene, draba, and saxifraga being the most telling and characteristic of the genera 
represented. Empetrum nif/ntm, a bryanthus, and tliree .species of vaccinium make a grand display 
when in flower and show their massed colors at a considerable distance. 

Almost the entire surface of the valleys and hills and lower slopes of the mountains is covered 
with a dense spongy ])lush of lichens and mosses similar to that which cover the tundras of the 
Arctic regions, making a rich green mantle on which the showy flowering plants are strikingly 
relieved, though tliese grow far more luxuriantly on tlie banks of the streams where the drainage 
8 less interrupted. Here also the ferns, of which 1 saw three species, are taller and more abundant, 
some of them arching their broad delicate fronds over one's shoulders, while in similar situations 
the tallest of the Ave grasses that were seen reaches a height of nearly six feet, and forms a growth 
close enough for the farmer's scythe. 

Not a single tree has yet been seen on any of the islands of the chain west of Kodiak, excepting 
a few spruces brought from Sitka and planted at Ouualaska by the Russians about fifty years ago. 
They are still alive in a dwarfed condition, having made scarce any appreciable growth since they 
were planted. These facts are the more remarkable, since in Southeastern Alaska lying both to 
the north and soutb of here, and on the many islands of the Aexander Anihipelago, as well as on 
the mainlaml, forests of beautiful conifers flourish exuberantly and attain noble diuiensions, while 
the climatic conditions generally do not appear to differ greatly from those that obtain on these 
treeless islands. 

Wherever cattle have been introduced they have prospered and grown fat on the abundance 
of rich nutritious pasturage to be found aluiost everywhere in the deep withdrawing valleys and 
on the green slopes of the hills and mountains, but the wetness of the summer months will always 
prevent the making of Iniy in any considerable quantities. 

The agricultural possibilities ot these islands seem also to be very limited. The hardier of the 
cereals — rye, barley, and oats — make a good vigorous growth, and head out, but seldom or never 
mature, on account of insufficient sunshine and overabundance of moisture in the form of long- 
continued drizzling fogs and rains. Green crops, however, as potatoes, turnips, cabbages, beets, 
and most other common garden vegetables, thrive wherever the ground is thoroughly drained and 
has a southerly exposure. 

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND. 

Saint Lawrence Island, as far as our observations extended, is mostly a dreary mass of granite 
and lava of various forms and colors, roughened with volcanic cones, covered with snow, and rigidly 
bound in ocean itie for half the year. 

Inasmuch as it lies broadsidewise to the directiiui pursued l)j' the great ice-sheet that recently 
filled Bering Sea, and its rocks ottered unequal resistance to the denuding action of the ice, the 
island is traversed by numerous ridges and low gap-like valleys all trending in the same general 
direction, some of the lowest of these transverse valleys having been degraded nearly to the level 
of the sea, showing that had the glaciation to which the islaiul has been subjected been slightly 
greater we should have found several islands here instead of one. 

At the time of our first visit, May 28, winter still had full possession, but eleven days later we 
found the dwarf willows, drabas, crizerons, saxifrages pushing up their buds aiul leaves, on spots 
bare of snow, with wonderful rapidity. This was the beginning of spring at the northwest end of 
the island. On July 4 the flora seemed to have reached its highest development. The bottoms of 
the glacial valleys were in many places covered with tall grasses and carices evenly planted and 
forming meadows of considerable size, while the drier portions and the sloping grounds about 
them were enlivened with gay highly-colored flowers from an inch to nearly two feet in height — 
Aconitum Napellus, L. var. delphinifolmm ser. I'olemonium cwruleuni, L. Papaver nudicaide, Draha 
alpina, and Silene acaulis in large closely flowered tufts, Andromeda, Ledum Liun*a, Cassiope, 
and several species of Vaccinium and Saxifraga. 



CRUISE OF STEAMEE CORWIN IN THE ARCTIT OCEAK 



49 



SA IXT MICH J EL' H. 



The region about Saint JMicliael's is a nia}:iiifi(!Piit tundra, crowdt-fl with ArotK; lichens and 
mosses, which here develop under most favorable conditions. In the spongy plnsh formed by the 
lower plants, in which one sinks almost knee decii at every step, there is a sparse gniwth of 
grasses, carices, and rushes, tall enough to wave in the wind, while cinpetruni, the dwarf Hindi, 
and the various heathworts tlourish liere in all their beauty of bright leaves and Howers. The 
moss mantle for the most jiart rests on a stratum of ice that never melts to any gieal cxieiit, and 
the ice on a bed rock of black vesicular lava. Kidges of the lava rise here and there above the 
general level in rough masses, affording ground for plants that like a drier soil. Numerous 
hollows and watercourses also occur on the general tundra, whose well drained banks are decked 
with gay flowers in lavish abuudance, and meadow patches of grasses shoulder high, suggestive 
of regions much farther south. 

The following plants and a few doubtful speoies not yet detci mined were collected here ; 



Linnpta horenlix, Gronov. 
Cassiope tetragone, Desv. 
Andromeda pn/ifolia, L. 
Loiselcuria prnnimbeus, Desv. 
Vaccinium Vitis WrPn, L. 
Arclontaplinlos alpinn, Spring. 
Ledum palitsire, L. 
Xardosmiafrigida. Hook. 
Satismrea alpina, Dl. 
Senerio frigidus, Les.-i. 

pnlustris. Hook. 
Arntoi aiigunlifoliii, Vahl. 
Artemisia arctica, Bess. 
Matricaria inodora, L. 
Ruius ctinmcK moniK, L. 

artiiits, L. 
Potentilln nirea, h. 
r>r>ias oclopelala, L. 
Draha alpina, L. 

« incana, L. ' 

Entrema arenicola, Hook? 
Pedicularm sudctica, Willd. 

euphrasioides, Steph. 
Langsdorffii, Fisch, var. lanntn. (fray. 
Diapensia Lapponiea, L. 
Polrmoium ccenileum, L. 
Primula borealis, Daly. 



Ori/lropis jioitma rpa , (iray. 
Ai'lrngaliis alpiiun', I.. 

frigidvs, (iray, xar. liitornlis. 
Lathpiis marilimiis, Higelow. 
Armaria taliritlnra, T/. 
Stellaria hitgipcn, (JoUiie. 
Silene acaidiK, L. 
fia.rifraga nirulis, L. 

Iiieracifoliii, W. aiirt K. 
Anemone narfii>»iJlorn, L. 

parriHora, Michx. 
Caltha pnlmlriK. L., var. nsarifnlia, Rothr. 
Valeriana eapitnia, Willfl. 
Lloydia serotina, Keichmb. 
Tofieldia coccinea., Richards. 
Armeria viilgarix, Willd. 
Cori/dali)! panriflora. 
Pingiiiciila Villosa, L. 
Mertensia paniculata, Desv. 
Polygonum alpinum, All. 
Epilobium latifolium, L. 
Bdula nana, L. 
Alnnx riridis, Dl. 
Lrivplioruni capilaliim. 
Oirex vulgaris, Willd, var. alpinn. 
Aspidium fragrans, Swartz. 
U'oodsia lloensis, Bv. 



aoLo vix BA y. 

The tundra flora on the west side of Golovin Bay is remarkably close and luxuriant, covering 
almost every foot of the gronnrl, the hills as well as the valleys, while the sandy beach and a 
bank of coarsely stratified moraine material a few yards liack from the beach were blooming like 
a garden with Lathyrus marifimi<fi, Iris sihirmi, Polemoninm ccerHleHm,&c., diversitied with clumps 
and patches of Elymus nienarius, Alnus ririelis, and Ahies alhn. 

This is one of the few points on the east side of Bering 8ea where trees closely approach the 
shore. The white spruce occurs here in small groves or thickets of well developed erect trees Jo 
or 20 feet high, near the level of the sea, at a distance of about « ov 8 miles from the mouth of the 
bay, and gradually become irregular aud dwaifed as they approach the shore. Here a number of 
dead and dying specimens were observed, indicating that conditions of soil, clima'e, and relations 
toother plants were becoming more unfavorable, and causing the tree-hue to ecede from the 
roast. 

H. Ex. 105 7 



50 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 

The following collection was made here July 10: 

rinr/uicula vi/lom, L. Lloi/dia srrolinn, Reichemb. 

J'aceiniiitii litis Ido'n, L. C hrymnlhemnm nreticum, L. 

Spirtea hetnliefolia, Pallas. Arlemiitia Tilcsii, Ledeb. 

Ruhus arcticus, L. Arcnarin prploUhs, L. 

Epitohimn Inli/oHnm, L. Grnliana glanca, Pallas. 

Pnlcmonifim rirnilriim, Tj. Fli/miis nrennritis, L. 

Ti'iriitdlis eurnpirii, L. var. nritira. I.prleh. Poa trivitilis, h. 

Enlrema nrenkola, Hook. Carfx vesicaria, L. var. ulpigmn. Fric.«. 

Iris sibirica, L. Aspiiiixtm spinulosum, Sw. 

KOrZERUE SOUND. 

The flora of the region about the head of Kotzebue Sound is hardly less luxuriant and rich in 
species than that of other points visited by the Corwin lying several degrees farther south. Fine 
nutritious grasses suitable for the fattening of cattle and from 2 to 6 feet high are not of rare 
occurrence on meadows of cou.siderabie extent and along streambanks wherever the stagnant 
waters of the tundra have been drained off, while in similar localities the most showy of the Arctic 
plants bloom in all their freshness and beauty, manifesting no sign of frost, or unfavorable condi- 
tions of any kind whatever. 

A striking result of the airing and draining of the boggy (undra soil is shown on the ice-bluffs 
around Eselioltze Bay, where it has been undermine<l by tiie nudting of tlie ice on winch it rests. 
Ill tailing down the face of the ice-wall it is well skakeii and rolled liefore it again comes to rest on 
terraced or gently sloping portions of the wall. The original vegetation of the tundra is thus 
destJ'oyed, and tall grasses spring up on the fresh mellow ground as it accuinulates from time to 
time, growing lush and rank, though in many places that we noted these new soil beds are not 
more than a foot in depth, and lie on the solid ice. 

At the time of our last visit to this interesting region, about the middle of Septemlier, the 
weather was still fine, suggesting the Indian Summer of the Western States. The tundra glowed 
in the mellow sunshine with the colors of the ripe foliage of vaccinium, empetrum, arctostaphylos, 
and dwarf birch ; red, purple, aud yellow, in pure bright tones, while the berries, hardly less 
beautiful, were scattered everywhere as if they had been sown broadcast with a lavish hand, the 
whole blending harmoniously with the neutral tints of the furred bod of lichens and mosses on 
which the bright leaves and berries were painted. ' « 

On several points about the sound the white spruce occurs in small compact groves within a few 
miles of the shore ; and pyrola, which belongs to wooded regions, is abundant where no trees are 
now in sight, tending to show that areas of considerable extent, now treeless, were once forested. 

The iilants collected are: 
Pj/rola rottmdifolia, L. var. pumila, Hook. SaxiJ'iaga Iricunpidata, Ketg. 

Arctostaplif/los alpina, Spring. Trientalis euiopaa, L. var. aiiica, Ledeb. 

Cassiope tetiagoiic, Desr. Lupinus artiaif, Watson, 

Ledum palustre. Hedyaarum horeale, Nutt. 

Vfiecinium Vitis Idica, L. CUilimu boreolc, L. 

Vliffimmm, L. var. mna-nimUi, Hender. Armcria culyiiri.i, Willd, var. Airlica, Cham. 

Empetrum nigrum. Allium schxiiopranum, L. 

Potenlilta, nnnerina, L. var. Piilygonum Vitiparum, L. 

hijlora, Willd. Cnstillcia pallida, Kunth. 

fnUicosa. Pcdicularia suddica, Willd. 

Stellaria longipes, Goldie. verticillata, L. 

Cerstttium alpinum, h. var. Briiringianum. Kegel. Scncrio pnlustris, Hook. 

Mcrtensia vmritiina, Den\ Salix polaris, Walil. 

Fapavernudicale, L. Luzula hypcrliorra, K. Bi. 

CAPE THOMPSON. 

The Cape Thompson flora is richer in species and individuals than that of any other point on 
the Arctic shores we have seen, owing no doubt mainly to the better drainage of the ground 
through the fissured frost-cracked limestone, which hereabouts is the principal rock. 

Where the hill-slopes are steepest the rock frequently occurs in loose angular masses and is 



(3RlTrSE OF STEAMP^U CORWIX IN TUE AUCTKJ OCEAlf. 51 

entirely bare of soil. But I)etweeii tiiese barren slopes there are valleys where the showiest of the 

Arctic plants bloom iu rich profusion and variety, forming brilliant masses of color— purple, yellow, 
and blue — where certain si>ecies form beds of considerable size, almost to the exclusion of others. 
The following- list was obtained here Jnly 19: 

Phlox Sibiiicd, h. PoienlilJa biflora, Willd. 

Polemoniiim hiimile. Willd. nivea, L. 

cnriileum, L. I>raba atelMa, Jacq. var. iiimlis, Kegel. 

Myosotis sjjhiitiva, var. alpeslils. incanu, L. 

Eritrichium iwiiiim, var. tirctioides, Hedu. Curthimint pmtenms, L. ? 

Dodecatheon metlia, -v&t. frigUlum, Gray. Clieiranthua pygmieus, Adans. 

Androsace ekamtrjaimie, WilW. Parrya imdkuulU, Kegel, var. a.ipera. Kegel. 

Anemone nareissiflora, L. Hedyaarum lorealw, Nutt. 

mullijida, Poir. Oxytropis podovarpa, Gray. 

parviflora, Michx. CeruMium alptntm, L. var. Bekrhu/idtiuin, Kegel. 

parvijioiu, Michx. var. ijilene ««(»/w, L. 

RanuHculKS affinis, K. Br. Aientiria verna, L. var. rubella, Hook, f. 

Caltliu aserifolia, Dl. Aretiea, Ster. 

(TeK»« ylaeUde, Fi.sch. Stellaria lonyipes, Goldie. 

Dryas oeliipetala, L. Artemisia tomentom. 

Polyyoniun BIslurta, L. Pedicularis capihita, Adans. 

Riunex Ciispiis, L. Papaver midicaule, L. 

Poykiniu Hiehnrdsonii, Gray. Epilobiiiiit hitifoUuin, L. 

Saxifmga tiieimpidatii, Ketg. Cansiiipe tetiayone, Desr. 

ceniuu, L. f'aceimuvi uliyinosum, i^. var. Mucronatn, Hender. 

flagellaiis, Willd. Vitis Idsea, L. 

Damrica, Willd. Stdix poluris, Wahl, and two other species uiidetermiued. 

punctnla, L. Festuca Saliva? 

nivtili!!, L. Glyceria, 

JV«n7os?niV( carymbosa, Hook? Triselum subspienlum, Beaiir. \ar. Mvlle. Gray. 

Eriyeioii Miiirii, Gray, n. sp. Carex vartflnm, Wahl. 

Taraxacum palust re, Dl. vulyario, Fries, var. Alpina. ((\ riyidu. GooA). 

Senicio friyidus, Less. Cyntuperis fragilis, Bernt. 

Artemisia glomeruta, Ledt. 

CAPE PRIXIE OF W.4LES. 

At Cape Prince of Wales we obtained : 

Loiselturia procumiens, Desr. Tqfieldia eocrinvea, Richards. 

Andromeda pvlifolia, L,.f(iima aretiea. Armerin aretiea, Ster. 

Vaeeinitim Vitis Idxu, L. Taroxaevm palustre. Dl. 
Andromce cMm(rjasme, Willd. 

TWEiVrr 3IILEi> EAST OF CAPE 1. 1 S B U R N E. 

LycJinia apetala, L. Oxytropis eanipestris, Dl. 

Androsace ehamwjasmejVi^iWd. Erigeroii tini/forus, L. 

Geum glaeialc, Fisch. Artemisia glomeruta, Ledb. 

Poientilla niveu, L. Saxifraga eackoltzii, Sternb. 

biflora, Willd. ftagelluris, Willd. 

Phlox Sibiricu, L. Chrysosplenium utternifolinm, L. 

Primula borealia, Daly. Draba hirta, L. 
Anemone nareissiflora, L. var. 

CAPE WANKEREM, SIBERIA. 

Near (Jape Wankerem, August 7 and 8, we collected : 

Claytonia I'irgimea, L. ? Chrysanthemum areticum, h. 

Ranunoulus pygmirus, Wahl. Senecio frigidus, hea.s. 

Pedicnlaris Langsdorffii, Fisch. Artemisia vulgaris, var. Telesii, Ledeb. 

Chrysosplenium alterni/olium, L. Elymus arenarius, L. 

Saxifraga cerniia, L. Atopocurus alpinus, Smith. 

stellaris, L. var. cornoia. Poa aretiea, R. Br. 

rivularis, L. var. hyperborea, Hook. Calamagrostis deschampsioides, Tvio. i 

Pohmonium c»eruleuni, L. Luzula hyperborea, K. Br. 

Lyahnis apetala, L. apicato Desv. 
Nurdoamia friyida, Hook. 



52 



CRUISE OP STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



I'LOVEIi HAY. SlUF.niA. ^ 

The uiouataius l)ouudiiig the glacial fiord called Plover Bay, though beautiful in their coiubi- 
uatious of curves and peaks as they are seen touching each other delicately and rising in bold, 
picturesque groups, are nevertheless severely desolate looking from the absence of trees and large 
shrubs, and indeed of vegetation of any kind dense enough to give color in telling quantities, or to 
soften the harsh rockiuessof the steejiest poitions of the walls. Even the valleys opening back 
from the water here and thereon either side are mostly bare as seen at a distance of a mile or two, 
and show only a faint tinge of green, derived from <lwarf willows, heathworts, and sedges chiefly. 

The most interestiug of the i)lants found here are Rhododendron KdintKchaticum, Fall., and the 
handsome blue-flowered Siui/ntyu oppositifoliu, L., both of which are abundant. 

The following were collected July V2 and August '2i>: 



(lentiana gtuiiva, Pall. 

Gtiiiii glaciate, Fiscli. 

Dryux uctopetula, L. 

Acuriitum Napellut, L. var. drlphinifoluun, Ser. 

Saxifntga uppoiiti/olia, h. 

piiiutala, L. 

canpitoaa, L. 
ViapeiiHiu l.uppuiiKU, L. 



lUiutlodivdroii Kamtuchulkiim, Pali. 
Cuimiope titragoiia, Desv. 
Anemone narciesijiora, L. 
Arenaria macrocaipu. PiuhIj. 
Dmba ulpina, h. 
Fuiri/u Eimuiini, Leilli. 
Oxi/ tropin, pothiiiirpii. Griiy. 



H KK A I.l) I SI. A NT). 



Ou Herald Islaud the common polar cryptogamous v^egetatiou is w«ll represented aud 
developed. So also are the flowering plants, almost the entire surface of the island, with the 
exception of the sheer crumbling bluft's along the shores, being quite tellingly dotted aud tufted 
with characteristic species. The following list was obtained : 



Saxifiuya punctata, I.'! 

serpyltifotiu, Pursli. 

aitenifloia, Stejiib. 

bronchialis, L. 

Htellaris, L. var. aimosa, Poir. 

rivularin, h. var, tiyperborm, Huuk. 

ttierucifoliu, \V:ild>*t & Kit. 
Papuvti iioediciiiile, i.. 



IJiabu ulpinu, L. 

Oi/mnandia i.7(7/<-/-(, Cham. & Schlecht. 
atelluria luiigipe.i, Golilie, var. Edwardsii T. & G. 
iUiitvio J'fit/idns, Lef.n. 
I'iitenlitla frigida, Vill '.' 
Salu.v polaris, Walil. 
Alopecunm ulpiniia, Smith. 
I.uzulu Iti/perlioivii, R. Br. 



WR A N a K I. IS I. A N I) . 

Our stay on the one point of Wrangel Island that we touched was far too short to admit of 
making anything like as full a collection ol' the plants of so interesting a region as was desirable. 
We found the rock formation where we laniled and for somt; distance along the coast to the 
eastward and westward to be a clo.se grained clay siate, cleaving freely into thin flakes, with here 
and there a few compact metaniorphic masses that rise above the general surface. Where it i.s 
expo.sed along the shore bluffs and kept bare of vegetation and soil by the action of the ocean, ice, 
and heavy snowdrifts the i-ock presents a surface about as black as coal, without even a moss or 
lichen to enliven its sombre gloom. Hut when this dreary barrier is passed the surfiuu! features of 
the couiitry in general are found to be fini'ly molded and collocated, smooth valleys, wide as 
compared with their dei)th, trending l)ack from the shore to a range of mountains that appear blue 
in the distance, and round topped hills, with their side i;urves finely drawn, touching and blending 
in beautiful groups, while scarce a single rock-])ile is seen or .sheer-walled bluff to break the 
general smoothness. 

The soil has evidently been derived mostly from the underlying slates, though a few frag- 
mentary wasting moraines were observed containing traveled boulders of (juartz and granite 
which doubtless were; brought from the mountains of the interior by glaciers that have recently 
vanished — .so recently that the outliues and sculptured hollows and grooves of the mountains have 
not as yet sutt'ered sutlicieut post glacial denudation to mar appreciably their glacial characters. 

The banks of the river at the mouth of which we lauded presented a striking contrast as to 
vegetation to that of any other stream we had seen in the Arctic regions. The tundra vegetation 



OEITISE OF STEAMER (^ORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



53 



was not wliolly absent, but tlit? mosses and liclions of wliicli it is elsewhere composed are about as 
feeldy developed as jwssible, and instead of forming a continuous covering they occur in suiall 
separate tufts, leaving the ground between tbeni raw and bare as that of a newly ploughed liekl. 
The phanerogamous plants, both on the lowest grounds and the slopes and hilltops as far as seen, 
were in the same severely repressed condition and as sparsely planted in tufts an inch or two in 
diameter, with about froui one to three feet of naked soil bi^tween tlieui. Some portions of the 
coast, however, farther south presented a greenish hue as seen from the ship at a distance of eight 
or ten miles, owing no doubt to vegetation growiug under less unfavorable (tonditions. 
From an area, of about half a square mile the following plants were collected : 



Suxifini/ii JteijeUaiis, Willil. 

stellarh, L. var. curnina, Poir. 

Hileneflora, Steiiib. 

hieracifolia, Waldsl. & Kit. 

rivular'M, L. var. liypi:ihoiia, H 

bronchialis, L. 

serpi/Ui/uliu, Puish 
Anemoiir parciftora, MiiUx. 
Papaver niidicaulr, L. 
Draba alpina, L. 
Cochleria officinalis, L. 
Artemisia horealis, Willd. 
Sanioxmia fi-iyidii, Hook. 
Saussiirea monticola, Richards. 



Senecio frigidns, Le.ss. 
f'ottiiiilta nivca, L. 

fnijida, Vill.? 
Armeria macrocarpa, Piiish. 

ralyaris, Willd. 
SteVaria longipes, GoUlie, var. Etlwardaii T. & O. 
Cerastium alpiniim, L. 
(lyiniiaiKba Stelltri, Chaiu A Sclilecht. 
Sulij- puluris, Wall). 
Luzulu hyperborea, R. hr. 
Poa arctica, R. Br. 
Aira caspitoaa, L. var. Arctica. 
Alopecurus alpinus, .Smith. 



BIRDS OF BERING SEA AND THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



E. W. TsTELBON". 



Tlic hist of June, 1881, tbe Uiiiteil .State>s levcuue steanici' Coiwiu ivachcd 8aiul Michaels, 
Alaska, on tier cruise to Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The object of this cruise was to search 
the various accessible jiortions of the Arctic for traces of the Jeanuetfce and two missing- whaling- 
vessels wliich were lost the same season that the Jeauuette entered the ice. Through the courtesy 
of the Secretary of the Treasury, I was taken on board and accompanied the Corwin throughout 
the remainder of the season. 

On .lune -1, we left Saint Michaels and crossed Bering Sea to Saint Lawrence Island and I'lover 
Bay on the Siberian coast; theuce along this coast througli the Straits and northwest in the Arctic 
to the vicinity of Nordenskiold's winter ([uarters, where we took on board a sledge party which had 
been left there earlier in the season to search the coast in that district. Theuce we returned again 
to Saint Lawrence Island and to Saint Michaels. After remaining here a short time, we returned to 
the Arctic, touching at all the islands in Bering Straits; and during the remainder of the summer 
visited in succession the entire Alaskan coast line from Bering Sti-aits to Point Barrow, including 
Kotzebue Sound and on the Siberian shore from the Straits to Xorth Cape. We also cruised along 
the edge of the ice-pack, landing upon Flerald and Wraugel Islands. On September 14, we passed 
through Bering Straits bound south; and after remaining sometime at Ounalaska in tbe Aleutian 
islands, fitting the vessel for a voyage to San Francisco, we left, October 4, homeward bound. 

The observations on which the present paper is based were made both dui'ing the cruise just 
detailed, an<l in addition are the results of observations made by myself during over four years' 
residence at Saint Michaels, and explorations carried on in various directions from that iioint. In 
addition, I have used information obtained from various reports which have been issued regarding 
the region in (|uestiou, so far as the limited time at my disposal would allow. 

The species given for the Alaskan coast and the islands of Bering Sea are almost, or quite, a 
complete list of the birds found tlierc ; but the species mentioned upon the Siberian coast form 
only a small (juota of those occurring in that region. This is mainly due to the little that is known 
concerning that region and the inaccessibility of its literature. 

The Arctic waters lying between Greenland and Europe on the southeast, and America on the 
southwest, have been visited by so many naturalists accompanying the various exploring and 
other expeditions, that the vertebrate fauna, at least, has become pretty well known. This is 
certainly true as regards the distiin^tiou of most of the species, though the life histories of many 
undoubtedly yet require the patient research of some enthusiastic student ready to face the dis- 
comfort, and often misery, entailed l)y such work in boreal regions. 

Leaving this comparatively well-trodden field, however, where is the naturalist who is pre- 
pared to state authoritatively just what is found at other portions, or on other coasts of this 
great frozen ocean ? The reply is simple, for as yet no one has been able to do more than to touch 
at some remote corners of the coast; or a vessel's prow may have pressed into the shifting ice-pack 
a short distance only to be rebuffed or else caught and held in an unj-ielding grasp. 

Exceptionally favorable opportunities of the writer in the unkjiown region of Bering Sea and 
the adjoining portion of the Arctic Ocean to the north have been detailed in the present paper, 
with such other information as could be ol)tained from other soiuces; as we visited all parts of the 
basin lying to the south of the solid icepack, and between Alaska on the east and south, Bering- 
straits and part of Siberia completing the southern limit, and the same portion of Siberia and 
Wrangel Island forming, with the ice-pack, the western border. Within this area, visiting all the 
shores named, among which as speciallj' noteworthy may be mentioned Herald and A\'rangel 
Islands, respecting which the only knowledge existing was that two bodies of land were known to 
lie there, one of which, in fact, was previously considered almost mythical till the work of the 



5Qb CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

Rogers sind tbe Corwiu has defined it. Further work will undoubtedly add other .species to the 
li.st and widen the range of others. 

Hut it is thought the present paper will give a very good idea of the bird life of the regions 
visited. Having the continent of America on the one side and Asia on the other, it might be 
anticijtated that we should secure specially rich results from the combinations of two faunas; yet, 
although this is true to a certain extent, there are predominating reasons to prevent the very marked 
exhibition of this. The first is the location of the region within the limits inhabited by a circum- 
j)olar fauna, and in consequence frequented by many sjiecies of wide distribution. The next is the 
similarity of the two barren coast lines and outlying islands, oftering but small inducements to land 
birds, while the sea birds, as usual, are species common to extended areas. 

The usually low but rolling coast country, a monotonous grass-grown plain, varied by lichen or 
moss-covered slopes, or wind-swept hills reaching back farinto the interior, are the onlj' variations 
to the general level. Here and there a few weathered pieces of driftwood break the cold gray of the 
shingly beach, while clusters of native huts or tents lend a passing interest to the cheerless coast, 
thus oflering but slight inducements for birds. 

As might well be expected, the former region north of Bering Straits is entirely Arctic ; and 
south of Uering Straits in Bering Sea the water birds may be divided into two groups — those fre- 
quenting the deep water surrounding the Aleutian, Fur Seal, and Bering Strait Islands, and the 
adjoining Siberian coast for the first group; and the shallow-water species occurring along the Alas- 
kan shore from the mouth of the Kuskoquin River to the vicinity of Bering Straits. The former 
group includes the auks and allied species; also the Rogers Fulmar and Steller's eider; and the 
second group such species as the emperor goose, the spectacled eider, and many of the fresh and 
brackish water ducks. 

This distinction of the two shores holds also, to a certain extent, north of Bering Straits, 
these two shores having there somewhat the same relationship I have just mentioned. There is 
also a difl'erence still more striking to be noted between the species frequenting the sea north of 
Bering Straits and those to the south. North of the straits the auks are very rare, while south 
throughout the Aleutian Islands, over all the other islands of Bering Sea, except along its eastern 
border, including even the islands in Bering Straits, they swarm in the greatest abundance ; while 
the presence in Bering Sea of several other species, including gulls and petrels not found north 
of the straits, makes the ditference still more striking. Beyond these differences, however, it is 
difficult to divide the region into any w-ell-niarked faunal districts. 

Though along some parts of the coast the breeding water fowl fill the marshes with life, yet 
the rocky islands of Bering Sea are the places about which birds exist in the greatest numbers ; 
and as Baron Nordenskiold well remarks in his account of the Vega's voyage, "It is not the larger 
inhabitants of the Polar regions, such as the whale, walrus, bear, and seal, which first attract the ex- 
plorer's attention, but the innumerable flocks of birds that swarm around the polar traveller during 
the long summer day of the North. And this is especially striking about any of the islands which 
birds — the gulls, guillemots, and auks — seek as breeding-places. The islands of Bering Straits 
resemble enormous beehives, about which the birds swarm in countless numbers, filling the air with 
their swiftly moving forms in every direction, and the waters are covered with them all about the 
islands, while every jutting point and place where foothold can be obtained is taken possession 
of by them for breeding-places. 

Although Herald Island is almost perpetually surrounded by the ice-pack, yet we found it 
swarming with murres, guillemots, and gulls ; as were also some of the cliffs on Wraugel Island. 
Still to the westward, on some of the islands visited by the Jeannett« crew on their retreat towards 
the Siberian coast, this was also found to be the case, as Mr. Newcomb informs me and they found 
there guillemots in extreme abundance, although the islands were surrounded by an almost un- 
broken ice-pack. 

For the benefit of naturalists visiting this region in future, I will mention a few localities where 
certain species of considerable interest may be obtained. The Emperor Goose is quite abundant 
on the southwestern portion of Saint Lawrence Island, frequenting the low, flat portion of the island 
intersected by lagoons. The islands of Bering Strait are all of them resorted to by the Crested 
Parrot-billed and Least Auks, and the Diomede Islands in particular are frequented by myriads 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 5^ 

of them throughout the sumoier season. Along the coast of Siberia from Just north of Bering 
Straits to wherever the shore is low and bordered by lagoons or shallow river mouths, o(jcur the 
Steller's and the King Eider iu great numbers. According to Nordenskiiild the Emperor Goose 
also visits this coast. At Tapkan we found Steller's Eider in excessive abuiulance during our 
stay there, as detailed in the following pages. The Alaskan coast, from Icy Cape to Point 
Barrow, is also froqueiited by the King Eider iu great abundance. 

The Kotzebue Kittiwake uest in large numbers upon a small rocky islet just oil' Chamisso 
Island at the head of the Kotzebue Sound, aud also upon the cliffs bordering tlie northern shore 
of Norton Sound in Bering Sea, especially those at Cape Darby and Cape Denbigh. Adams's Loon 
is fouud rather commonly upon the rivers flowing into the head of Kotzebue Sound, esiiecuilly 
along the Kunguk. 

Some small rocky islets iu the middle of Akutan Pass near Unalaska, in the Aleutian Islands, 
are the breeding places of the beautiful little Forked-tailed petrel; and the coast line of Alaska 
from Cape Vancouver to the middle of the Yukon delta is the great breeding-gi'ound of the 
Emperor geese. From the northern border of the Yukon delta north to Norton Bay the Spectacled 
Eider breeds among the brackish water lagoons and ponds where the shore is flat and tnarshy. 
North of Saint Michaels, however, this species is rare, occurring in its greatest abundance between 
Saint Michaels and the Y'ukon mouth. 

The principal sources from Avhich iuformation has been derived, in addition to my own 
observations, have been Dall and Bannister's list of birds in the " Transactions of the Chicago 
Academy of Sciences" for 18G9, and Dr. Cones' Ornithology of the Pribylov Islands in Elliott's 
" Condition of Affairs in Alaska," Treasury Department, 1874. 

The seasons of navigation upon the two shores of Bering Sea are usually somewhat uneven, the 
ice remaining longer in spring upon the Alaskan coast than it does on the Siberian shore; and the 
reverse in autumn, when the ice from the Arctic forces its way through Bering Strait and fills the 
western portion of this sea for some distance before ice commences to form on the east coast. On 
shore we have the reverse,'aud in the spring of 1881, when we left Saiut Michaels, the last of June, 
the hills were covered with green grasses, and willows and alders were commencing to show their 
summer foliage, while numerous northern flowers were already in blossom. Only a rare patch of 
snow was to be seen here and there on the distant hillsides, and summer was apparently at hand. 
When we reached the Siberian coast, however, winter still appeared in force, and the snow reached 
from the tops of the highest hills to the water's edge in immense banks and drifts, although many 
places where the snow or wind had opportunity to exert its influence showed the bare lichen-covered 
rocks; but the vegetation was extremely backward, only just commencing to start, iu fact. This, 
however, is accounted for from the fact that the waters of western Bering Sea are deeper and far 
colder than those of the eastern shore in summer, where tiie shallow water and great amount of 
warm fresh water brought down by the numerous rivers flowing into the sea change the tempera- 
ture very rapidly and at the same time rapidly affect the surrounding atmosphere. On the Siber- 
ian coast, on the contrary, the ice is swept away by the strong currents which flow north and in 
spring carrying with it ice, leaving the coast free from the latter, but at the same time surrounding 
the shores with water at an icy temperature which falls but little throughout the summer. The 
basin-like character of Norton Sound, as also of Kotzebue Sound in the Arctic, aid in giving them 
a much milder climate than their northern location would indicate. 

The coast of Bering Sea from the Yukon mouth north to Bering Strait is broken occasionally 
by rugged cliff's, but, as a rule, is low and undulating, and covered with grass and mosses, inter- 
spersed with ponds, where tlie various species of fresh water fowl breed. Along the beach is strewn 
great quantities of driftwood, which comes from the Yukon freshets, but trees occur only along a 
small portion of the coast extending from the vicinity of Unalakleet north around the coast to near 
Cape Darby, where the spruces are found in some places within a few yards of tide- water. From 
this point north not a tree approaches within miles of the coast-line. At the head of Kotzebue 
Sound a few spruces may be seen on the sides of distant mountains, aud beyond this the country 
has the peculiarly barren Arctic appearance. At the head of the Kotzebue Sound a species of tall 
grass grows in considerable abundance ; but leaving this sound to the north the coast becomes 



b^^d CRUISE OF steamer corwin in the arctic ocean. 

more and more barren, until from Icy Cape north it is a flat or sli{rl>tly rolling; monotonous stretch 
of Arctic bogs. 

At Plover Bay, on the Siberian shore, are low iiills or mountains risint; to 1,50(1 feet or 
more, almost sheer from the bay in many places, and made up of enormous masses of rock, down 
the sides of which the crumbling talus of splinters and fragments, weathered off, make the slopes 
diflieult to surmount. About hen; the attractions for the birds are very small, and but few si)ecies 
except water fowl are found. On the iu)rth, towards Bering Strait, the coast is somewhat hilly; 
but only at East ('ai)e, the easternmost point of Siberia, do we fliul it rising again to a rugged 
mountainous peak. Thence, again, along the northern coast the shore gradually becomes lower 
until it finally assumes the low undulating barren character of the Arctic tundra; nor tloes this 
last appear ntuch more inviting to land birds than does the harsh faces of the broken and mount- 
ainous districts. The islands of Bering Sea, as are most islands frecpiented by sea-birds in the 
north, are enormous masses of rock apparently forced up out of the water, with almost preci))itons 
sides, affording innnmerable chinks and crevices wliereiu the birds find shelter ami jilaces for 
rearing their young; but witli oidy a slight amount of vegetation, and much un)re familiar with 
cold fogs and icy storms at all seasons, than they are with clear skies or warm sunshiny days. 

In conclusion, I have only to express my thanks for the courtesies rendered, first to General 
W. B. llazen, Chief Signal OHujer, and to the Secretary of the Treasury, through whose kind jx-r- 
mission and co-operation I was enableil to accomi)any the Corwin ; and also to Professor S. V. 
Baird and JVfr. R. Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Tnsfitution, for aid in the preparation of this report. 

E. W. NELSON, 
iSignal Service, U. iS'. -1. 
\VA8UiM.;rui\, May IS, 1883. 



i:im;ata. 

Owing' to (lie ahstMice of the autlior, uiid tlic liastc witli wliicli tliis p.iper has been put thvougli 
tlif in'oss, the wiitor liad no opportunity to correct tlu^ proofs, and in consequence a number of 
typof^rapliical ei-rors are present— tlie most imi)ortant of whicli are detailed in tlie followin<; list. 

l*age ,")!•, in place ot " senctica" read "sneclca.'' 
Page GO, in jdace of "sylvai" read "sylvia." 
Page (>3, in jilace of "data" read "celata." 
Page 64, in place of* myrodioctes" read " niyiudioctes.''' 
Page (]li, in place; of "ciicoptera " read '• leucoptera.*' 
Page 70, in place of •• alandinns" read •' alaudinus." 

Page 7li, in i)lace of " 1*. iliaca" read " No. H Passerella iliaca townseudi." 
Page 74, in |)lace of ''alandida'," rea<l " a!andid:F." 
Page 7G, .strikeout one "a" in '' virginiaanus." 

Page 77, in plact> of "swinia'' read "surnia"; in ])lace of " candicaus"' read "caudicans." 
Pag(! 70, in )»lace of" .<;anctic" read " sancti." 

Page SO, strike out one "e" in " Haliaoetns;" for -'TetracnidiB" read "Tetraonida",." 
Page 81, for " rusjtestris " read '' rupestris."' 

Through an error the notes under inimbers 7S and 70 were not placed under a single heading. 
Page 82, for " o(!cidenlalis" read '' atkheusis." 

Page 8.1, for "scolopacenns" read "scolopacens"; for "niaritinia" read "couesi, Uidg.*' 
I'age87, for " pygrauus " read " pygnneus.'' 
Page 80, for" rtairipes" read " Havipes." 
Page 93, for " albifrous" read " albifrons."' 
Page 10.'3, for " groculid;? " read "graculida'." 

I'age 107, "Larus cachinnans"' api)ears under two headings by an error. 
Page 112, for " fuhnorus " read "fulmarus " and space between this word and the next. 
Page 114, for " Polbiilli " read " Holbijlli." 

Page llo, for ".scplentrionalis" read sei)tentrionalis"; for " corinculala " read " corniculata." 
Page IKJ, for " Simorliynchnt cristatelhus"' read " Simorliynchns cristatellns"; for " antiguns" 
read " auti<|uns." 

56e 




■^ 



THE BIRDS OF BERING SEA AND THE 
ARCTIC OCEAN. 



TTJRDID^. THEUSHES. 
HTLOCICHLA ALICIiC Baird. 

(1.) The Gkay-Cheeked Thrush. 

In middle latitudes where our aequaiutauce is made with this bird we associate it with damp 
woodlands and sheltered glens, and it wouhl seem almost incongruous to one familiar with it in 
such surroundings to look for it as an inhabitant of the barren stretches of arctic lands where for 
many miles not a tree raises its shaft. Such is its northern home, however, and throughout the 
entire arctic region north of Hudson's Bay to Bering Strait and across into Kamtchatka the bird 
is found in a greater portion of this range as an extremely abundant species. Wherever clumps 
of dwarf willows or alder have gained a foothold along the sterile slopes and hillsides in the north, 
a pair or more of these wanderers may be looked for. Along the entire Bering Sea coast of Alaska, 
and north around the shores of Kotzebue Sound, it is numerous among the many alder bushes 
found on these shores, and the record of the bird from Kamtchatka renders certain its presence on 
the adjoining shores of Northeastern Siberia. It is the most northern species of thrush found in 
America and its breeding range is limited only by the absence of a bush in which to place its nest. 
It passes by the groves and farms of the ISTortheru States just as the buds are swelling and the 
warm, misty rains of spring are quickening into life the sleeping seeds and rootlets ; tilled with 
buoyant exultation it pauses now and then to pour forth those strange but pleasing cadences which 
once heard in their full sweetness will never be forgotten. But it has no time to tarry, and ere long 
it is already far on its way to the north. The strange, wild song which arose but a short time 
since in pleasant woodland spots and quiet nooks in southern groves is now heard by wandering 
Indians who seek their summer fishing-grounds by the banks of northern streams. Yet a little 
later and it troops in abundance near to the shores of the Arctic, where the Mackenzie and other 
rivers pour their spring floods into the icy sea. Down the Yukon these birds pass, using the 
densely bush grown bank of the river as their highway, raising now and then their song which finds 
here fittest surroundings. Reaching the mouth of the Yukon, many wander along the coast of 
Bering Sea to the north, and some are said to cross the straits. 

They have now reached their summer homes, ami in slieltered thickets among many of their 
kind they choose their mates and prei)are for rearing their young. Ere long their joyous song is 
heard no more, but instead the sprightly bird is busily engaged in caring for its gaping brood. In 
the course of time the young are fledged, ami now the unwary birds fall an easy prey to the untried 
bows of the native boys, who follow them into their bushy coverts and slay many a helpless victim 
with their blunt-pointed arrows. The skins of the birds killed by the boys are kept till winter and 
hung in rows as trophies of the young hunter.s' skill, to be brought out at the great midwinter hunt- 
ing festival. 

As the cold storms of autumn arise the birds, which have escaped the various dangers, and 
which are easily affected by cold prepare to return, and retracing their way along the course 
pursued in spring they pass again to the soutli, now shy and silent, awakening the echoes no longer 
with joyous melody, but apparently imbued with the saddening spirit of autumn they pass quickly 
by and are gone. 

H. Ex. 105 8 57 



58 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

HYLOCICHLA NANUS Aud. 

(2.) Tee Dwakf Thrush. 

The presence of tbis si)ecies in my list is owing entirely to the idenlificatiou of Gmeliu's 
Oiinnlaskan Thrush as this l>ir<l by Mr. Ridgway. If Gineliu's bird was one of these thrushes, as 
the imperfect description may be interpreted to affirm, it occurs there merely as a strajigler, for 
since the original record not a s])ecimen has been obtained at Ounalaska, or elsewhere ou the 
Aleutian Islands, by any of the numerous naturalists who have visited them. The descrii)ti()n is 
80 vague and imperfect as given by Gmelin that absolute identification is impossible, and from 
the geographical position of the original locality the chances are equally as favorable for II. alicicc. 
to occur as for the Dwarf Thrush. 

MERULA MIGRATORIA Linn. Sw. & Rich. 

(3.) The American Robin. 

The breeding limit of this bird is restricted to the wooded part of the interior, but it occurs as 
a straggling migrant on the coast of Norton Sound and Bering Straits and a wind-bound visitant 
to the Seal Islands. It is ])resent as a sumriier resident ou Kodiak Peninsula, as shown by skins 
brought me by the Esquimaux. No doubt it is a straggler thence to Northeastern Asia or Chukchi 
land. It also visits the shores of Kotzebue Sound in the course of its migrations, but I do not 
know of its nesting anywhere near tide- water on this coast. 

It is a pleasant experience for one in a far-off region like this to come across the familiar forms 
known in other days. The sight of this bird gleaning its food about the houses on a frosty spring 
morning in May, carries one's mind back from sterile arctic scenei-y to the blossoming orchards, the 
hum of bees, and sucli other pleasant sounds and sights of nature as go to make up a beautiful 
spring day in lower latitudes. One misses, however, the warbling strain of the blue bird, and the 
cheerless surroundings soon bring the stern reality too closely home. The birds too seem impressed 
with the gloomy surrouutlings, and I have never heard them utter their notes during the time of 
their visits to the sea coast. 

In the wooded interior, however, they regain their spirits and rear their young even noith of 
the circle, and here their cheering notes enliven the wooded river courses during the long summer 
days, in striking contrast to the silence of a few mouths earlier when a deathly hush made the 
shadows of the forests a fitting haunt for the wolf and wolverines. 

There is no record of the occurrence of the robin in Northeastern Asia, that I have found, 
although as before mentioned it undoubtedly is a casual visitant to that region. Elliott found 
a single bird wind-bound u])on the Seal Islands, beyond which there is no record of its occurrence 
on any of the islands in Bering Sea. 

HESPEROCICHLA NiEVIA (Gmel.) Baird. 

(4.) The Varieb Thrush. 

This handsome bird equals the robin in its northern range in Alaska, and quite a number of 
skins have been brought me from the northern shore of Norton Sound and from the Kotzebue 
Sound region. The Eskimo have assured me of its range considerably beyond this district, and 
Richardson found it on the JMackenzie River, within the Arctic Circle, where he tells us it arrives 
very soon after the Robin and the Yellow Warbler. It, like the Robin, i)refers to nest in the wooded 
country, but unlike the latter it nests at times in the alder clumps close to the shore of Norton and 
Kotzebue Sounds. It is unknown from the islands aud Asiatic shore of Bering Sea. 

I have not had the pleasure of studyinji' the life habits of this bird, so have nothing to add in 
this particular, but may say that its habits during the breeding season are but little known, very 
few naturalists having had opportunity to study its nidiflcation. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



59 



CINCLIDiE. WATER OUZELS. 
CINCLUS MEXICANUS Swains. 

(5.) The American Water Ouzel. 

Throughout the year, along the sparkling streams which descend in a series of cascades from 
the summits of the mountains ou the Aleutian Islands, the cheerful presence and strange habits 
of this odd little bird animate the silent and otherwise lifeless gorges an.l ravines furrowing their 
steep sCr It braves the wild tempestuous winters of this part of the North Pacific and Bering 
Sea, and is found farther north wintering even on streams flowing into the Arctic Ocean. 

This half aquatic thrush is found about open spots on streams flowing into the head of No ton 
and Kotzebue Sounds, where it braves the severest temperatures of the harsh winters, ^^^^'^ 
of the intense cold prevailing for weeks at a time. It searches busily lor its food m the icy 
wate's of the swiftly running streams by whose mossy banks, overhung with stunted pines and 

willows, it rears its young in summer. ,•/,,,,• t i 

It uuknowuwhethtn-this or its closely allied Asiatic relatives is found in Chukch, Land. 
Butnei^ther form is found ou the islamls of Bering Sea, except in the Aleutian Cham, nor were 
any seen at Plover Bay or East Cape, where, however, the conditions are scarcely favorable for 

their presence. 

SAXICOLID^. STONE CHATS. 

CYANECULA SBNCICA (Linn.) Boehm. 

(6.) The Blue Throated Warbler. 

The presence of this oddly marked songster here is owing solely to the ««<'-;7;«^«^;7^^;f 
specimens at Saint Michael's, Norton Sound, where several were takea by Dr. Adams in June, 

'The various authorities who have written on the habits of the Swedish nightingale, either as 
seen in Northern Europe or Siberia, agree in giving it rare powers of song especial yiu 
mhnickiug the notes of other birds. So varied and peculiar are its capabilities in this respect that 
we can but regret that its presence on American shores is due to mere accident. 

The bird though quite distinct in several characteristics, especially of color and pattern of body, 
iscW a lied to ico/., as it po.ssesses the peculiar distribution of color on the ..ul feathers 
•xlrno^ recisely as in th s later genus, and other marks of resemblance. I do not know of its 
olrreLe in Northeastern Siberia^ although its summer distribution is subarctic, and it has been 
found on the Lower Lena and in various parts of Middle Siberia. 

SAXICOLA CBNANTHE (Linn.) Bechst, 

(7.) The Stone Chax. 
The Wheat Bar, although long known as a rather common summer resident in the northeast 
em corner of America and in Greenland, has but recently been found in Alaska, where Mr. Ball 
Ts the first to mKUt. He obtained a munber of specimens in the middle Yukon region since 
wh c time Dr T H. Bean has found it not uncommon on the Arctic Coast from Kotzebue Sound 
r! rl isb mie and the writer has taken it in the fall and spring ou the shores oi Norton Soiind 
S S 'nd:^;"^:!l a^Itive brought a sUin of one of these birds on board the Corwin at King 

^"=^t.;:ii;r::^:::;::^r::^:HLrr bl^ ^ to be considered a somewhat regular visitant to 
some pait if not all of Northern Alaska. It is very erratic in its occurrence, however, and 
where quite common one season may not be found at all the next. 

In the summer of 18S0, Dr. Bean found the bird not uncommon in the lauge .pst given. 
In ttie summer oi > j^ (Jovmn and failed to find a single 



60 CRUISE OP STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

supposed to result from its passage westward along tbe northern shore of America from Greenland 
and its adjoining habitat, evidently entering Northern Alaska and perhaps Northeastern Asia 
from Europe by way of the Northwest Passage. 

SYLVIIDJS. OLD-WORLD WARBLERS. 

sylvai eversmanni. 

(8.) Eveksmaun's Warbler. 

Flocks of this small bird came during the middle of June and settled on the Vega at Tapkan, 
her winter quarters, northwest of the Straits. This was before the ground was free from snow, 
and the birds api)eared to be much exhausted. 

PHYLLOSCOPUS BOREALIS (Bias.) Dresser. 

(9.) Kennicotx's Warbler. 

The first American specimen of this Siberian Warbler was taken by the naturalist of the 
Western Union Telegraph Expedition at Saint Michael's, Norton Sound, in ISGii. Since then no 
others have been secured until the three specimens I had the good fortune to obtain at the same 
locality during my residence at that place. Its recurrence appears to be very irregular, as it was 
found only in two seasons out of four, during which I kept a sharp lookout and had native 
collectors searching for them, but obtained and saw only the examples mentioned. It has never 
been taken on the Siberian sliore of the region covered by this paper, but further towards 
Middle Siberia it is known to be common, extending its summer range to the vicinity of the Arctic 
Circle, i)assing south tlirough Eastern and Central Asia in its autumnal migration. In the region 
of Lake Baikal it is a common migrant, as well as further east in Siberia. How gen eral its range in 
Northeastern Siberia is can only be determined when the numerous ornithological problems of 
that country are solved by the work of some ornithologist. 

PARID^. TITMICE. 
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS SEPTENTRIONALIS (Harris.) Allen. 

(10.) The Long-Tailed Chickadee. 

An irregular visitor to the Alaskan shore of Bering Sea, mainly about Norton and Kotzebue 
Sounds, where it is not a raie bird in the fall and at times also in the spring. But it is never 
resident here, owing to the lack of suitable shelter. 

PARUS CINCTUS GRISESCENS, Sharp & Dresser. 

(11.) The Siberian Chickadee. 

Though to be accounted a Siberian species by right of general distribution and priority of 
discovery, yet this little Chickadee makes its home among the siu'uce and paper-birch forests of 
Northern Alaska, and like the preceding makes occasional excursions to the adjoining coasts and 
comes familiarly about the houses, where it enlivenes the gloomy opening of the long cheerless 
winter or breaks into the monotony of the silent frosty days later in the season. 

Although Mr. Ridgway identified the original American specimens of this bird as typical 
Parus cinctus, a more careful examination of a much larger series made by myself shows that it is 
really referable to the much grayer and somewhat larger Eastern Siberian form, described in 
" Dresser's Birds of Euroije," and to which all American specimens should be referred. 

PARUS HUDSONICUS Porst. 

(12.) The Hudsonian Chickadee. 

This bird is the third and last of a band of active, cheerful wood-sprites, whose busy notes 
and amusing motions while playing at gymnastics, as they rove in merry troops through the wood- 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 61 

lands of the interior, holding their own against the inclement winter with its cold and famine 
rent hen the u.o.l interesting of the winter inhabitants of northern forests. Their odd self- 
Insertion and seenung in.portance render then, noticeable and attractive wherever one goes. 

I ike its relatives^ a few of the more adventurous of this species also pay tlying ^^slts to the 
se..sho\e whe for a short time they Hit about searching the crevices of the log houses, chmbmg 
about the fences, and making themselves thoroughly at home for a short season and then betake 
themselves to more suitable quarters again. 

TE0GL0DYTIDJ5. WRENS. 
ANORTHURA ALASCENSIS (Baird) Coues. 

(13.) The Alaskan When. 

This sturdy representative of the common winter wren of the Eastern United States makes 
its pIrlSlrou the foggy, storm-beaten Aleutian and Fur Seal Islands. H- - ^..f « 
nclenent weather and the harsh, cheerless form assumed ^^^ "^t-'*' «"/ ' H ff^ 1 te n 
ntlrplt ino. Wren nasses its life. All about snow-clad hills or rugged, rock-strewn cliffs and steep 
inteiesting VN len pasbcs us uie. a ^^^__^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^p^^ 

mountain slopes rise against a cloud-hiddeu skj . Masses oi .->ieei _ 

.,„d ravines sendin- sheets of spray across the water and arivingall else to seek bheltei , yet tms 
;^ hJlI Is own o'k^some partly sheltered slope or grassy tiat, and if spring be at hand its dear 
011(1 noKib o „ ; , , . . i^^ii i,i tiie storm as the hardy songster holds by a 

ryS^^-e^tu ^if;;tirb:;tnd ..th m ... wind, or perhaps from somejutting 

^'^The ravines are still bedded with snow in many places when he has ^^^-^^^ f ^^^ P-\°- 
and is deep in the mysteries of family life. In autumn he ,s found sprightly as befoie but less 
musiJal, a7hrti[;i aboiit the grassy flats and hilly .lopes, generally in pairs, so that it may be 

'" miTiis hai^iS Z lilll^ng winter I cannot say, but so brave a heart in so small a body, that 

of any wren in such a position. . a„:,,f pom-o-p Itsland laree 

Air Elliott tells ».« that .luring excei.ti»i.ally severe wmhirs »" S»"'''^«°'«» '!''',„ ^° 

,,,,,„bers„rftU birds ,.erisU. A few «,»„,, however, sutHee to br,„g tUe „umbe, „„ .0 ..a 

°''"llrt:.ri,,ol,.ti,,t.ehi«„r.o.tUisUraist.eraet,asas.^^^^ 
which latter islands must be considered as the bu-ds' original habitat. 



62 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWDT IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

MOTACILLID^. WAGTAILS. 
BUDTTES FLAVA (Linn.) Gray. 

(14.) The Yellow Wagtail. 

As a summer resident on the shores of Bering Sea, in Alaska, this handsome bird makes its 
appearance the last of May or the first of June, according to the season, and very soon after is 
mated and perforniiug its summer duty of nesting and rearing its young, in all the suitable portions 
of the low, open country, from the Yukon mouth on the south to the southern shore of Kotzebue 
Sound on the north. Saint Michael's may be taken as the center of abundance of this bird in 
Alaska. At the Yukon mouth, I found it rare in the sitring of 1879 and during the summer of 1880. 
I only found two or three specimens at the various hiTidings made in Kotzebuo Sound ; it was, also, 
found sparingly at Plover Bay, where nearly every naturalist who has landed there has also found 
it. It was not seen on the Arctic shore of Siberia visited by the Corwiu, nor does Nordenskjold 
mention it as being found at his wintering place. As autumn api)roaches, towards the last of 
August, these gentle birds prepare to return to their winter quarters in Southeastern Asia and 
adjoining islands. One by one they leave our shore, and unless some waif is caught, like the one 
JMr. Dall secured at sea, off Saint Mattliew's Island, nothing more is heard of them in America until 
they recross the sea again in spring. jNleanwhile they have twice passed the strange scenes of 
China, Japan, and other adjoining lands of the Orient, and penetrated the countries of Southeastern 
Asia and the adjoining islands. Joining meanwhile in pleasant fellowship with many a strange 
feathered companion, whose experience wots not of the wide lands roamed over by his jaunty, 
tip-tilted friend, whose air of complacent impertinence speaks of much sight seeing in foreign parts ; 
and who knows but he even affects a slight Eskimo lisp as the result of his voyage across the seas? 
However, he is a very welcome summer visitor to the cheerless bogs of Northwestern Alaska and 
makes a pleasant addition to the slightly varied character of the bird life in this portion of the far 
north. 

ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS (Gm.) Licht. 

(15.) The American Titlakk. 

During the early spring the Titlark is found sparingly along the entire Alaskan coast of Bering 
Sea, but docs not breed to my knowledge south of the straits, except perhaps on the mountains 
back from the coast, and I have not found it numerous at any season, though it is said to be 
common in the interior. It also occurs on the Chuckchee peninsula and Aleutian Islands. The 
first of August it comes straggling slowly back from its breeding ground in the north, bringing its 
young in train, aud after lingering for a short time about favorite spots in the vicinity of Saint 
Michael's passes on to seek winter quarters far to the south. 

ANTHUS PRATENSIS (Linn.) Bechst. 

(IG.) The European Titlark. 

This widely-spread Old AVorld bird has been taken but once within the region treated of in 
this paper. A single specimen was secured at Saint Michael's by Mr. Dall, during the Russiiin- 
American Telegraph Expedition, and I'emains the only evidence of its presence on either shore of 
Bering Sea. 

MOTACILLA OCULARIS Swirshoe. 

(17.) The Siberian Wagtail. 

All the later naturalists who have visited Plover Bay, Siberia, have secured specimens of this 
handsome bird, Dall, Bean, aud myself in succession finding it there. The two former took it late 
in the season in imperfect plumage, while during the second visit of the Corwin to this bay, the 
last of Jane, 1881, I secured a fine adult male in perfect breeding plumage, the handsome plate 



CECnSE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 63 

accompanying this volume showing the bird mentioned. They are found on the gra.ssy flats which 
cover the spit making out at the mouth of tlie bay, and are very unsuspicious, if my siugle example 
is to be taken as typical. It was close to the Eskimo huts and lighted upon a stone as I drew near, 
allowing me to approach very closely. I thus obtained the ])rize without the slightest difficulty. 
Mr. Turner states that he observed one of these birds on the island of Atka, the westernmost of the 
Aleutian Chain, in the spring of 1S81. And one of the most remarkable facts in connection with 
the history of this species is the fact that a specimen has lately been received at the National 
Museum, obtained by Mr. L. Belding in Southern California, where it was obtained in the early 
winter of 1881-1882, thus introducing it as a member of the fauna of North America. It is a 
common and ])retty well-known bird in collections from Eastern Siberia. Its life history, however, 
still remains to be worked out. The accompanying plate represents it in the act of darting at an 
insect in the characteristic manner of this and allied birds. 

The specimen of this bird, which I obtained June 20, 1881, at Plover Bay, Siberia, is an adult 
male in full spring plumage, of which the following is a description : 

Back nearly uniform ashy, changing on upper tail coverts to blackish, with an asliy wash on 
edges of feathers. All but two outer tail feathers black ; the two outer feathers white, each having 
a narrow longitudinal band of black from base along the edge of inner web, which runs out towards 
the end of the feathers an inch from tip of first and close to tip of second. A black line extends 
along near the shaft of outer web of the next to outer featlier, breaking and disappearing near the 
middle of the feather. Wing light brown ; tertiaries much darker and edged with white. The 
greater and lesser coverts are so broadly edged with white as to overlap and conceal the dark 
brown centers, the two thus forming a large, uniform white patch on the upper surface of wing. 
A broad frontal patch of white extending from bill back on crown to a line drawn across the 
posterior edge of orbits and continuing back nearly to the occiput as a supraocular stripe. A 
nearly black line extends from gape back through eye, uniting the neck with the nearly square 
black patch which occupies the crowu and nuchal region and extends partly down on sides of neck. 
From the base of lower mandible on each side a widening band of white extends back under the 
eye and down the side of neck, separating the black crown patch from the large black patch which 
extends from the base of lower mandible down over the throat and breast. The rest of under 
surface white, tinged with a wash of ashy on sides and flanks. Bill and feet black. Iris dark 
hazel. Dimensions: Wing, 3.65; tail, 3.75; tarsus, .95; middle toe and claw, .71; culmen, .50 inches. 

SYLVICOLID^. AMERICAN WARBLERS. 
HELMINTHOPHAGA CLATA (Say) Baird. 

(18.) The Orange-Ceowned Waebleu. 

This is quite a common breeding bird of the interior of Northern Alaska during each summer, 
but does not usually appear along the sea-coast until its young are fledged and are on their way 
south. This takes place during the first half of August, at which time these birds are quite 
numerous for one or two weeks, especially along the shore of Norton Sound. They are not known 
to occur on the adjoining shore of Siberia, nor on any of the islands iu Bering's Sea. 

DENDRCBCA iESTIVA (Gmel.) Bd. 

(19.) The Yellow Warbler. 

A common summer resident in every alder and willow patch along the American mainland, 
and more numerous on the shores of Norton and Kotzebue Sounds than elsewhere, owing mainly 
to the abundance of its favorite shelter on these shores. Its familiar notes and bright i)lumage 
render it one of the most attractive summer visitants. It is one of the few species of this grouj) 
extending its range within the Arctic Circle, and has, perhaps, the prettiest plumage of its kind 
reaching this high latitude in America. 



64 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

DENDRCBCA CORONATA (Linn.) Gray. 

(20.) The Yellow-Rump Waebleb 

Occurs as an occasional, but not rare, visitant along the American shore, perhaps most 
numerous along the shores of Norton Sound. It is, however, a woodland species, and makes but 
very short stops along the inhospitable coast, but hastens to more congenial locations in the 
interior, where it rears its young. In the autumnal migration it hastily seeks its more southern 
haunts, and rarely lingers along the bare coast of the north, as do some of its relatives. 

DENDRCSCA STRIATA (Porst.) Baird. 

(21.) The Black-Poll Waebleb. 

Like the Yellow Rump, this is a rather scarce bird, and is found along the shore of Norton 
Sound merely as a spring and fall migrant. It also occurs upon the shores of Kotzebue Sound 
at the same season. Like otlier small birds, it frequents the vicinity of houses during its passage, 
where it apparently finds the best foraging grounds. The small garden spot close to the kitchen at 
Saint JNIichael's seems to be the great rendezvous and point of attraction for such of these small 
species as pass that way in spring and fall. Like some of the other small birds mentioned, this is 
a common interior species; it is unknown on the islands and Asiatic shore of the sea. 

SIURUS NiBVIUS (Bodd) Coues. 

(22.) The Small-Bllled Water Thrush. 

Rather common about the shores of Norton Sound during the fall migration, which continues 
during the mouth of August. Although not numerous every season, yet from three to a dozen 
may be taken about tiie muddy spots in the immediate vicinity of the houses at Saint Michael's. 
It has not been taken on any of the islands in Bering Sea. These birds breed in the bushy islands 
of the Lower Yukon in gi-eat abundance as well as in some of the more favorable thickets along the 
coast of Norton Sound, ranging as high up at least as Kotzebue Sound. Their clear, rich notes 
rise from the dense clumps of willows or alders in their favorite haunts in spring, enlivening the 
river banks with their wild full tones and dividing the musical lionors with the larger Fox-colored 
Sparrow. 

MYRODIOCTES PUSILLUS (Wila.) Bp. 

(23.) The Black-Capped Yellow Warbler. 

In companionship with the Yellow Warbler, this pretty little bird makes its summer home 
among the bushy patches along the coast, especially from the Yukou mouth north to Kotzebue 
Sound. Both this and the species just mentioned extend their summer haunts even to the 
confines of the Arctic Circle. Both make pilgrimages in the winter to Mexico and Central 
America, where they hob-nob and catch tiles with the stay-at home warblers and fly catchers of 
the tropical forests, and after a season of recreation and plenty they betake themselves over the 
thousands of miles intervening and arrive a merry, restless party at their nesting grounds early 
in June or the last of May. They are unknown beyond the Alaskan mainland and are more 
plentiful in the interior than on the coast. 

LANILD^. SHRIKES. 
LANIUS BOREALIS Vieill. 

(24.) The Great Northern Shrike. 

The Northern Shrike is a very rare visitant to the coast of Bering Sea, and except at the 
mouth of the Yukou and along tlie shores of Kotzebue and Norton Sounds its occurrence is very 
unusual. In the places mentioned it must be classed as rare. The mouth of the Yukon is appar- 
ently the point of most frequent occurrence, while elsewhere it is a mere straggler. 




A NT T T ; R mi' 



CKUISE OP STEAMER COEWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 65 

lanius cristat0s. 

(25.) The Ckkstkd Shrike. 

As tlie last boat came off from Wraiigel Islam! ami the captain began to |)repare for getting 
clear from the ice that the strong tide was bringing about ns with too much force for safety a 
sailor came up to me in a shamefaced manner and held out a dried specimen of this bird which he 
said he had picked up on the hillside and wished to know if I cared for it. As might be supposed 
the mummy was taken in hand and is among the prizes secured during the cruise of the Corwin. 
By the aid of alcohol it came safely to Washington, and Mr. Ridgway has carefully reproduced 
it in the accomi)anying plate. It has been represented as perching upon a fragment of drift-wood 
frozen in the ice, with the shores of Wrangel Island in the distance, the latter being from sketches 
taken by myself as we were leaving tiiat place. I may refer to the fact that we found fragments 
of drift-wood, not only upon this island but in the water about it, as several who have seen the 
drawing have supposed that the jierch must necessarily have been introduced solely by a flight of 
the artist's imagination. This is strictly an Asiatic bird, and its occurrence here upon the hillside 
far above the tide-mark shows that it must have reached here alive, probably during some storm 
and died subsequently of starvation or exposure. Although the bird was obtained the 12th of 
August, yet it is a young of the year in its tirst plumage, of which the following is a description : 

The crown and upper part of the back is slightly dull rufous or chestnut; back lighter toward 
rump where it is grayish and yellowish brown with dark bars. The upper tail coverts are russet 
or reddish brown with dark barring near the end and tipped with grayish. The feathers of crown 
and back are edged slightly with grayish, siiowing the immature plumage. The wings are brown 
with color of the back extending over the shoulders, but with the coverts brown, edged with dull 
buffy and grayish and becoming reddish in some instances. The tertiaries are edged broadly with 
pale brownish yellow. The tail is reddish brown, nearly uniform, except the outer feather, which 
is lighter than the inner. Belly nearly a uniform yellowish white, marked on breast and sides 
with fine, wavy, and irregular bars of brownish or blackish, giving a loosely veriniculated appear- 
ance to the lower surface. The throat is immaculate yellowish white. The lores are grayish white 
shaded with buffy, which color extends back as an iiui)erfect supraorbital line, and the cheeks and 
auriculars are yellowish white or pale buffy, finely maculated with dark edges to the feathers. 

The measurements of the bird are : 

Inches. 

Wing 3.40 

Tail.. 3.70 

Culmen .50 

Depth of bill at base .28 

Tarsus 98 

The graduation of the tail is nearly seventy-bundredths of an inch. 

HIEUNDINID.*:. SWALLOWS. 
HIRUNDO ERYTHROGASTRA Bodd. 

(26.) The Barn Swallow. 

One of the most pleasant sights that meet the traveler's eye on landing at Saint Michael's is 
the large number of common Barn Swallows which make their homes about the buildings. These 
birds extend their range to the shores of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Their cheerful 
twittering and graceful motions as they circle and glide in wayward flight about the small collection 
of log houses recall scenes of a far diflerent character than those which till the eye at this place. 
Here they nest in deserted native houses or under the eaves of the few frame or log houses, and in 
some instances seek the shelter of rocky caves and hidden spots on the faces of the clitt's, as was 
seen on the north shore of Kotzebue Sound, where two nests were found i)laced far inside of a deep 
cleft extending into a rocky cliff reaching out into the sea. The nests were in close proximity 
upon a rocky shelf, while below them the waves dashed back and forth, breaking into spray within 
a few inches of the nests. In the Aleutian Islands the swallow is scarce, and is said not to occur 
H. Ex. 105 9 



66 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

west of Oniialaska. At this latter place its occurrence is governed largely by the cbaracter of 
the Season; a pleasant s])ring brings them to nest about the village, while au inclement season 
prevents a single one from making its appearance. 

The Ilirundo Unalascw (iinelin refers without question to this species, as there is notliiug else 
to which it can be referred occurring at Ounalaska. As before remarked, in some seasons not a 
swallow is seen at Ounalaska, again they are common; but thus far the researches in that region 
have revealed uo species of swallow except this which visits this chain of islands. 

TACHYCINETA BICOLOR (Vieill.) Caban. 

(27.) The White-Bellied Swallow. 

The present bird occurs quite commonly along the shores of Norton Sound during moderately 
pleasant days the last of May, and coincident with the main (light of the lilackbraut it hunts back 
and forth through the marshy flats and over the bare hillsides, but is rarely found in the settlements. 
After a very short stay it leaves for the wooded country in the interior, or on the lower parts of the 
larger streams where it breeds. In August it is again seen like various other species straggling 
along the coast. It haunts the vicinity of settlements at this season and may be seen generally 
n companionship with its cousin, the Barn Swallow, for a day or two, but rarely remains until the 
latter starts in its southern migration. I fiud no record of either this or the preceding extending 
its range to the Asiatic coast, nor are they known, to my knowledge, on any of the islands in the 
Bering Straits region. 

FRIXGILLID.E. FINCHES. 

PINICOLA ENUNCLEATOR (Linn.) Vieill, 

(28.) The Pine Grosbeak. 

An extremely rare straggler to the unwooded shore of Bering Sea. About the head of Norton 
Sound, however, where spruce forests reach the shore, they are not uncommon. Here, as elsewhere, 
in the wooded country it is resident. For a discussion of the geographical variation of this bird 
I must refer those interested to the more general work I am preparing on the birds of the Territory 
of Alaska, as lack of space forbids taking up the subject here. 

LOXIA CURVIROSTRA AMERICANA (Wils.) Coues. 

(29.) The Amekican Crossbill. 

An excessively rare species on the shores of Bering Sea, I know of its occurrence there in 
but a single instance; this was a specimen taken at Saint Michael's in winter by Mr. Turner. It is 
of excessive rarity in the Yukon region. The Saint Michael's specimen is identical with others 
obtained at Sitka and in the surrounding region, which ajtpear to average considerably smaller 
than the birds of the interior and eastern portion of the coiitiuent. Its occurrence to the north of 
the Alaskan Peninsula can be looked upon as very exceptional. 

LOXIA CUCOPTERA Gm. 

(.'50.) The White-Winged Cros.sbill. 

Although this species is seen much more frequently on the coast than the former, yet it is also 
a rare bird there except where, as about the head of Norton Sound, the forest of the interior 
approaches the coast. In the interior, however, this is one of the commonest and most familiar 
birds, and is one of the few hardy species which braves the rigorous winters in this region. During 
this latter season they may be found moving in small parties through the tree-tops, or in scattered 
pairs during the summer attending to the duties of incubation and rearing their young. Neither 
this nor the i)receding species is known to occur upon any of the islands of Bering Sea or upon 
any part of the Siberian shore. Tliis might be anticipated from a knowledge of the unsuitable 
character of these portions of the region in question. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC (JCEAN. 67 

LEUCOSTICTE GRISEINUCHA (Brandt) Baird. 

(31.) The Aleutian Rosy Finch. 

Along the entire Aleutian chain of islands, from Kodiak on the east to Atkha and Attou on 
the west, and including Saint Matthew's and the Seal Islands on the north, this beautiful bird is 
found to be one of tlie most frequent species. The delicately blended grays and browns, with the 
lovely roseate wash over nearly all the body, renders it the richest in color and most attractive 
species found in this region. In addition to being the northernmost of its limited number of con- 
geners, it is also the giant among its rehitives; as well it may be to endure the harsh climate where it 
has made its home. Much to the writer's regret, although he made special effort to tind this bird 
during both his visits to Ounalaska, a hasty glimpse of a single individual flitting along the rugged 
face of a cliff near the shore in May, 1877, was the only one seen. Nearly every other naturalist 
who has visited this locality has secured specimens and records it as one of the commonest birds. 
Even the long, harsh winter is not able to make these elegant linches seek a milder climate, but 
amid the whirling snows and desolate scenes of these forbidding islands they make their per- 
manent home. In summer, among the long grasses and other plants, this bird is to be found 
rendering pleasant the scenes where in winter it alone breaks the dull, cheerless monotony. It is 
totally unknown on the mainland of either continent, but has near relatives on the American 
shores, and it appears to be a form strictly limited to this peculiar chain of islands. Although it 
winters on the Aleutian islands it is only known as a summer resident to the north on the Seal and 
Saint Matthew's Islands. 

iEGIOTHUS CANESCENS EXILIPES (Coues) Ridgw. 

(32.) The White-Rumped Red Poll. 

All along the coast of Bering Sea, on the Alaskan shore, from the Peninsula of Alaska north 
to Point Barrow, as well as upon the islands in Bering's Strait and across to the adjoining shore 
of Asia, this is perhaps the most abundant of all the land birds. Their nests are placed 
indifferently in bushes and tufts of grass, or a hole in a piece of drift wood on the barren shore 
serves as a building site. This and the following species intergrade in many instances, so that it 
is difticult to separate them accurately. My reasons for keeping the two forms separate are given 
in full in a complete list of the birds of the territory now in preparation. Over all the polar lands 
of America, Europe, and Asia, as well as in Greenland, we find both forms of this handsome little 
bird giving animation to many of the otherwise lonely and barren spots. In summer he is usually 
engaged in rearing his one or two broods of duUplumaged young and preparing them for the 
trying experiences they will necessarily face a few mouths later, when the sun draws his short bow 
across the southern sky, and long, frosty nights make the very earth crack under the lowering 
temperature. At this season the stars seem each to hang from the firmament by an invisible cord 
aud twinkle clear and bright overhead. Tlie sharp, querulous yelp of the white fox alone breaks 
the intense stillness. A white, frosty fog hangs in the air — the cliilled breath of nature — which 
falls silently to the ground in the lovely crystal handiwork of northern genii. lu tiie north a pale 
auroral arch moves its mysterious banners and the rounding bosom of the earth, silent and chill 
under its white mantle, looks dreary and sad. After such a night the sun seems to creep 
reluctantly above the horizon, as though loath to face the bitter cold. The smoke rises slowly and 
heavily in the fixed atmos[)here, aud warm rooms are doubly appreciated. Soon small troops of 
these little red polls come silently about the houses, their feathers puffed out and looking gloomy 
enough as they search silently amoug the dead weeds for food. An hour or two later they catch 
the fuller rays of the sun and become more cheerful and flit busily about, though they are far from 
showing the character which becomes tliem so well and which later in the season they reveal under 
tlie brightening rays of the sun in early spring-time, towards the last of March and first of April. 
Then indeed we learn the true worth of our happy companions. They come flitting about the 
houses on all sides, examining tlie bare spots on the ground, searching the old weeds and fences, 
clinging to the eaves, and even coming to the window sills, whence they peer saucily in, making 



68 CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

themselves continually at home and receivinfra hearty welcome for their cheerino- presence. The 
breast is now a beautiful pea(!h blossom i)ink and the crown shining scarlet. How this bird came 
to bear these beautiful colors is told in one of the Indian myths whicli is deemed of sufficient 
interest to relate; and, after the manner of the tales of our childhood, it bejjins thus: 

Very long ago the whole of mankind were living in cheerless obscurity. Endless night hid 
the face of the world, and men were without tiie power of making a tire, as all the fire of the world 
was in the possession of a, ferocious bear living in a far otf country to the north. This bear 
guarded his charge with unceasing vigilance, and so frightful was his appearance that no man 
dared attemi)t to obtain any of the precious substance. While the poor Indians were sorrowing 
over their misfortunes, the Red Poll, which at that time was a plain little wood sparrow, dressed 
in ordinary dull brown, heard their plaint — for in those days men and beasts understood one 
another — and his heart was touched. He prepared himself for a long journey and set out toward 
the lodge of the cruel bear. After many adventures on the long road which he traversed between 
his starting-point and the object of his journey, he at length reached the place and by a successful 
ruse stole a living ember from the perpetual fire which glowed close under the breast of the savage 
guardian and flew away with it in his beak. The glow of the coal was reflected from his breast 
and crown, while his forehead became slightly burued. Far away he flew and finally arrived 
safely at the home of mankind and was received with great rejoicing. He gave the fire to the 
thankful people and told them to guard it well ; and as he did so they noticed the rich glow on 
his breast aud brow, and said, " Kind bird, wear forever that beautiful mark as a memento of what 
you have done for us;" and to this day the Red Poll wears this badge in proof of the legend, as all 
may see, and mankind has ever since had fire. 

iEGIOTHUS LINARIA (Linn.) Caban. 

(33.) The Common Red Poll. 

This, like the preceding bird, is found along the entire shore line of Bering Sea, with the excep- 
tionof the Seal Islands and a portion of the Aleutian chain. It breeds in abundance wherever found, 
but is especially numerous along the shore from Norton to Kotzebue Sound; and wherever we 
landed from the Corwin, like the preceding, this bird was also found. The former, however, appears 
to be the predominating form, but the two occupy the same breeding range in this i)ortion of their 
habitat, thus undoubtedly arguing for the distinctness of the two species. We found it with the 
preceding at East Cape, Siberia, Point Barrow, and at nearly every i)Iace where we landed. In 
winter they band together in flocks and seek the sheltered woodlands toward the interior, where in 
bushy ravines and on sheltered hillsides they are found on every hand. During mild weather 
they make excursions to the coast and more exposed portions of the country, ready to disappear 
at the approach of an unfavorable change. Some of them, like the preceding, remain to winter 
along the sea-coast, but only a small proportion of the number which is found in summer. Many 
doubtless migrate to more southern localities, as they are nowhere found so abundant at this season 
as during summer. Although not mentioned by Nordenskiold as ociiurring at his winter quarters, 
yet this bird is known to exist throughout the range of the entire circumpolar mainlands of both 
continents and many of the adjacent islands, rendering it certain that it is found in that portion of 
Siberia as well as elsewhere. On Herald and Wraiigel Islands none of them were seen, owing 
doubtless to the scanty vegetation on these barren islands not afibrdiug requisite shelter and 
hospitality to tempt them to cross the icy sea and remain on these forbidding shores. 

PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS (Linn.) Myer. , 

(34.) The Snow Bunting. 

In the north, the range and abundance of this species in summer is to a great extent comple- 
mentary to that of the succeeding species. Along the more rugged parts of the coast, on rocky 
and barren islands and the bare and desolate shores of the Arctic Ocean, wherever explorers have 
gone they have found these birds before them. The desolate hill-tops of Saint Lawrence Island, 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IK THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 69 

the bare weather-worn sides of the mountains snrrounding Plover Bay and East Cape, Siberia; 
the rocky wind-swept islands in Bering Strait, as well as the lonely shores of Herald and Wrangel 
Islands, and the shingle-strewn beaches along the north coast of Asia and Alaska all appear 
to be chosen as the favorite summer homes of this bird. When we landed at any of these places 
we were certain to be greeted by the clear, sharj) note of the Snow Bunting, which would be 
seen running busily a'lout searching for food or wheeling al)out from jilace to place, its sharply 
contrasted black and white plumage quickly attracting the eye and usually the first sign of life. 
On the mountain sides at Plover Bay its mellow note was heard on June 2(5, uttering the long, clear, 
and rather hard song, full of a wild and exhilarating meloily fitted to tlie surroundings. This song 
consists of four or five clear whistling notes, shorter than the song of the Long Spur, and uttered 
from a rocky point or the top of some jutting ledge. At Saint Lawrence Island, on June 24, we 
found them common and nesting, and some native children showed us a nest about 100 yards back 
of their huts. This nest contained one egg, which was obtained, with the female. After the latter 
was shot the male kept flying about our heads, or from rock to rock close by, and continually 
uttering a loud p-cher, p-cher, p-cher, p-cher, in such a plaintive tone that I was glad when we 
were out of eai'-shot. As long as we remained in the vicinity this bird followed us from place to 
place, hovering about, not taking the slighest notice of his rifled nest after the female was shot. 
He showed by his actions that he was fully aware of our having his mate in our possession. 
I do not remember ever having seen a bird show such affectionate solicitude for his mate as was 
exhibited on this occasion. 

As we landed upon the shore of Wrangel Island, on August 12, were found a pair of these birds, 
with their full-grown young, upon the beach, and a number of others we found nesting upon Herald 
Island. This bird arrived at Tapkan on April 23, 1879, according to Nordenskiold, and it is known 
to breed commonly on Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla, as well as throughout the Aleutian Islands 
and wherever the Arctic coasts to the north of Continental America have been visited. 



CENTROPHANES LAPPONICUS (Linn.) Caban. 

^35.) The Lapland Long Spur. 

One of the most numerous among the summer residents of the Alaskan mainland, but occurs 
more sparingly on the adjacent islands and along the shores of Asia. This bird generally 
frequents portions of the coast least sought by the preceding. Its northern range ajipears 
to be limited, and we do not find it either on Wrangel or Herald Island, although on the 
mainland of Alaska it extends to Point Barrow, where full-grown young were seen in August. It 
is much more numerous on the Alaskan shore thau on the adjoining Asiatic coast. It breeds 
commonly ui)on Saint Lawrence Island, but is uncommon at Plover Bay, on the Asiatic shore, only 
about ninety miles distant. There are flats and other places there which appear suitable as local 
habitations, yet the birds were not found. 

The Long Spur occurs in the greatest numbers on the grassy and moss-covered stretches of 
level or rolling tundra along the American coast. It was found sparingly along the north 
shore of Asia, where grassy flats afford suitable retreats; but everywhere along the American 
coast"the bird appears to be a very common summer resident, and most plentiful where the full 
harshness of the arctic summer was not felt. Along the shores of Norton and Kotzebuc Sounds, 
where the seasons are comparatively mild, it is found in greatest abumlance. Thousands 
of the birds appear on every hand as one strolls about during the breeding season, and in 
early spring, at the commencement of mating, the air is filled with music. During the 
winter the Long Spur is not found in the country north of the Aleutian Islands, in which 
latter region, however, the bird is a permanent resident. Although the Long Spur apparently 
favors a milder or subarctic portion of the continent, it ranges far to the north, as is shown by 
being found nesting upon Spitzbergen, southern i.ortions of Nova Zembla, and other far northern 
lands. Its southern bieeding range in Alaska appears to be along the Aleutian chain, where it 
has been found raising its young, by Mr. Dall and others. 



70 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IX THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS Gmel.) Baird. 

(36.) The Sandavich Sound Sparrow. 

On tlio Aleutian Islands this is a conimon siiinnipr resident, and thenco east and south along 
the Alaskan shore it is also eoninion. It has not been recorded from the Seal Islands, hence its 
northern range ai)i)ears to bo limited to this chain of islands and the adjoining coast as given. 
During the migrations it is found along the coast iia far south as Oregon and Washington Terri- 
tories, hut its breeding limit in this region is still unknown. Throughout the northern part of its 
range it is known to breed, and we found it as late as October, ISSl, at Onnalaska, and it arrived 
at this place the first of May, 1877. Some i)rot)ably remain the entire winter, but the majoritj' 
pass farther south. Its habits are like those of its congeners, keeping to the grassy tiats and the 
shore close along the water's edge, wliere a i)ortion of its food is gleaned. This also is one of the 
several cases in whi<^h the Aleutian Islands and adjoining region furnish a stouter, longer billed 
bird than is found in the closely allied forms of the maiidand. Among these may be named 
Mrlnspiza cinerea. Leitcosticte (jrisienucha, and the Kodiak Aegiothii and Pinicola, in addition to the 
case in hand, as showing some of the most striking instances of this peculiarity. 

PASSERCULUS SAND-WICHENSIS ALANDINUS (Bp.) Ridgw. 

(37.) The Western Savanna Sparrow. 

All along th<! coast of Bering Sea, at least to Point Hope and probably to Point Barrow, this 
is a common bird, especially along the coast between the Alaskan Peninsula and Kotzebue Sound. 
Wherever the open moist stretches of co!n[)aratively level country aftord suitable haunts, it is 
found in large numbers. Although nnthinus has been recorded from Saint Michael's and the 
Yukon region, it is owing to an erroneous identification, as is shown by an examination of the 
specimens upon which this claim was based, all of which are referable to Alandinits. Anthinm is 
strictly limited to the coast of California and is unknown to the north of this region. On the 
contrary alandinns breeds far to the north, extending its breeding range inside the Arctic Circle, 
and its southern range in summer does not appear to encroach on that of anthinus. In winter, 
however, it is found passing south and mingling with its relatives in the coast region of California. 

ZONOTRICHIA GAMBELI INTERMEDIA Ridgw. 

(38.) The iNTERjnsDiATE White-crowned Sparrow. 

Along the Alaskan Coast, north of the Aliaskan Peninsula to Kotzebue Sound, the Wbite- 
crowued Si)arrow is a rather common summer visitor and nests in many jilaces. It is one of the 
most musical birds that reaches these high latitudes along the coast. With the opening spring 
and appearance of the first flowers comes this handsome songster, whose charming notes and 
familiar presence about the houses render it an agreeable accompaniment of spring. The last 
of May, it appears in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, and, taking the wood pile or some other 
convenient s])ot for its stage, sings at intervals during the entire day. Pleasant frosty mornings 
particularly are enlivened by the notes of this bird, and I recall with pleasure the feeling of 
exhilaration always produced by its song which seemed to form a i)art of the clear, fresh, frosty 
atmosphere and the brightening face of nature. For a week or so after the bird's arrival its 
familiar presence is joyfully i)roclaiined by notes from the places mentioned, after which it 
quits the viciuity of man for the sheltering thickets on the hillside, where it i)erforms the duties 
of the season. A few weeks later, during the last of July or the first of August, it is ready 
to come about the houses again, a memory of the good things found there early in the season 
serving to draw the bird from all sides. The weed patches and grassy knolls in the vicinity of the 
Fort or the native village aie filled with these birds, and with their young they wax fat and saucy 
ui)on the fare before them. The young frequently come into the court yard and make themselves 
thoroughly at hoaie ; and, if the trutli be told, now and then one falls a victim to misplaced confi- 
dence, and, in the shape of a dried mummy, travels to distant parts of the world, where, among a 
host of his ilk, he x-eposes as a specimen. In autumn old and young alike have but the ordinary 



CRUISE OF STEAMEK COKWIN IN THE AliCTIG OCEAN. 71 

chirp common to a host of their kind at tliis season, and they carry with them but little of the 
interest attendinjj tlieir sprinj,' advent. In tiie lower Mackenzie liiver region and to the east these 
are abundant birds, and are said to render the t\vilit;lit lionrs of nijfht during the short summer 
melodious with their songs. Kicliardson often coniijhiined of their disturbing liis rest by tlieir 
persistent singing while he was journeying down tiiis river. On the Aleutian and other islands of 
Bering Sea and the Asiatic Coast this is an unknown bird. It is the only form of white-crowned 
sparrow found in the territory of Alaska and throughout the North. The common bird of the 
Eastern United States does not reach these high latitudes. 

ZONOTRICHIA CORONATA (Pall.) Baird. 

(39.) The Goldenckownkd Sparrow. 

A rather rare summer visitant on the shores of Norton Sound, where it breeds. Its favorite 
haunts are the same as those of the preceding species. In the fall young and old consort with 
intermedia again on the feeding ground about the houses. Upon the Aleutian and other islands 
in Bering Sea this bird is unknown, nor have I any record of it along the coast north of Norton 
Sound. 

SPIZELLA MONTANA (Forst.) Ridgw. 

(40.) The Tree Sparrow. 

This is perhaps tlie commonest species of Sparrow frequenting the bushes along the Northern 
Alaskan (Joast. It arrives early in May, or even the last days of April, upon the shores of 
Norton Sound, and, like the White-crowned Sparrow, announces its presence by first appearing 
about human habitations. At this time it especially favors such weed patches as have withstood 
the storms of winter; the convenient shelter thus formed making a favorite gathering place, 
where the lisping chirp of the Tree Sparrow can be heard at all times, and from which tliey make 
excursions to the garden spot by the kitchen or come into the yard. They are always timorous, 
however, and ready to dive into the fastnesses of their lurking place at the first alarm. Before 
the snow has left the thickets where they make their nests, they have taken i)ossession as if in 
anxiety to commence their housekeeping. In the course of time the suow disappears; the sturdy 
alders begin to open their buds and take on a shade of green, while about their roots busy family 
groups are at work upon the soft grassy nest, which soon contains their pretty complement o 
eggs. All goes well, unless some wandering naturalist breaks rudely in upon the hai)i)y pair and 
leaves a scene of ruin behind. 

Early in July the parents have a brood of full grown young, which they straightway introduce 
to the vicinity of the houses, where we soon tind them in full possession of the outworks of the 
Fort and ready to Join in friendly companionship with the White-crowns and young Lapland 
Long Spurs. The motley crew associate in the most congenial way during this season of plenty, 
and a plebeian crew they make, all clad in dingy browns and dull butfy grays, each apparently 
without an object in life but to gorge himself on the abundance of food which the i)lants begin to 
siiower down. Ere long, however, the cold storms of autumn announce the approach of winter 
and send many of the more sensitive oft' to a milder climate. September passes, the frosts and 
cold are more severe, and as this month ends and October begins the last of the gormands pass 
on to a sunnier clime. 

This species breeds on the shores of Kotzebue Sound, as far north as bushes are found. I 
have no record of its occurrence on the adjacrent Siberian shore, although it is undoubtedly found 
on the Chukchi Peninsula. It (;au scarcely be exi)ected to occur upon any of the islands iu 
Bering Sea from their bleak and unsuitable character. 

JUNCO HTEMALIS (Linn.) Scl. 

(41.) The Black Snow Bird. 

This is perhaps the most uncommon s[)arrow found upon the .\meiican shore of Bering Sea, 
and can be noted merely as a straggler from the interior of pretty regular occurrence in spring. 



72 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

It is rarely seen more than two or three times during the season at Saint Michael's, although at the 
Yukon mouth it is rather more common. It breeds at this latter location in small numbers, and 
is also found sparingly in the vicinity of Kotzebue Sound and Norton Bay, as specimens brought 
me from those localities by natives indicate. It is unknown from the Asiatic Shore to the 
islands of Bering Sea. 

MBLOSPIZA CINEREA (Om.) Ridgw. 

(42.) The Aleutian Song Sparrow. 

Among the several peculiar birds found on the Aleutian Chain this is one of the most 
remarkable. It forms the giant among its kin, and would scarcely be connected with its eastern 
relative by one not familiar with the links in the chain w^hich unite them. It extends its range 
from the westernmost of the Aleutians east to Kodiak Island. It has been described under various 
names by the older naturalists, who secured it during the Russian occupation of the territory; 
but, as in nuiny other instances, the most of our knowledge of its life history and distribution is 
nuiinly the result of work done sin(!e the country changed owners. 

During a brief residence at Ounalaska, in the Aleutian Islands, in May, 1877, 1 becanui somewhat 
familiar with the habits of this bird at that season, and during the stay of the Corwin at the same 
place, in the fall of 1881, I was pleased to renew the acquaintanceship at another season. They 
were common in both seasons, and frequented in autumn, as in spring, tiio vicinity of the shore 
with a preference for .jutting craggy points, where great masses of rock lie at the water's edge or 
the rugged slope of the cliff reaches out into the bay. It is the habit of this bird to hoj) from rock 
to rock and scramble about along their inclined faces searching for their food close to the water's 
edge, where it feasts on th(! small marine animals stranded by the falling water or living there 
between the tide-lines. . The male frequently mounts to the top of some convenient point and 
utters his short, rather hard, but pleasant song. This song consists of several loud, hard notes, 
the first two the clearest and most musical, the others rather harsh. As might be expected from 
the size of the bird, the song is strongtu' and louder thau that of its eastern relative, the familiar 
song sparrow. During the entire time of our stay at Ounalaska, in September and October, 1881, 
the nuxles showed their ai)preciation every pleasant day by passing a considerable portion of their 
time ui)on the roof of the warehouse at the wharf or other conspicuous position elsewhere, uttering 
their song at short intervals. This warehouse stood beside the wharf to which we were moored, 
and the passing to and fro of the men handling cargo or attending to other duty made a scene of 
bustling activity. In spite of this the bird was sure to be found whenever the weather favored. 
At other times he could be found, with one or two companions, searching the sandy beach close by 
for food. 

PASSERELLA ILIACA (Merrem) Om. 

(43.) The Fox-Colored Sparrow. 

Common in summer along the coast of Norton Sound, and extends its range north to the shores 
of Kotzebue Sound. Its loud, clear song rises from every patch of alders of any size along this 
stretch of coast, and the birds upon their first arrival, about the last of May, come boldly about 
the dwellings, uttering their loud, clear song from the roofs of the outhouses and other convenient 
stand-points. At the Yukon mouth it is very common, and I found its song one of the most musical 
and striking among the very scanty feathered choir which announces the advent of summer at that 
remote place. It is unknown from any of the islands in Bering's Sea, as well as from the Asiatic 
shore. Its range extends within the interiorof the ArcticCircle, although the lack of bushes along 
the coast limits its occurrence except on the shores of the two sounds named. 

PASSERELLA ILIACA (Gm.) Ridgw. 

(44.) Townsenu's Sparrow. 

This species is admitted here solely by reason of the identification of (Iraeliu's Emberezia a 
oonalascensis as this bird. One thing is certain, and that is that since Gmelin's type no specimen 
of this bird has been secured at Ounalaska, although numerous nuturalists have visited that locality 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 73 

and paid special attention to its omitliolopy. Neither has the bird been found on any of the 
eastern islands of the chain, which renders its occurrence here still more improbable. Melospiza 
cinerea occurs here, however, in three distinct plumages, one of which answers fairly to the very 
insutBcient description given by Gmelin. The nearest place where Passerclla towmendi has been 
taken is on the Shuiuagiu Islands, south of the Peninsula of Aliaska. Of necessity the question 
of the exact application of (iinclin's name must remain a matter of individual oi)inion ; but in view 
of the bird in cpiestion not having been taken on the Island of Ouualaska or any of the neighboring 
ones, it seems but fair to consider tlie chance of his description ai)plying to one of the plumages of 
M. cinerea. I allow the name to remain, as Mr. Ridgway proposes, from the fact that there is 
little possibility of proving the question for one side or tiie other, but deplore the utilizing of old 
names, as in this instance, where there is such opportunity for error. 

ICTERID.E. BLACKBIRDS. 
SCOLECOPHAGUS FERRUGINEUS (Gm. ) Swains. 

(45.) The Rusty Blackbird. 

Along the eastern shore of Bering Sea, both in the spring and autumn migrations, this bird 
is frequently seen. It nests commonly at the mouths of the Yukon and Kuskoquim, as low down 
as the growth of bushes aftbrds proper shelter. It is a common summer resideut in suitable places 
about the Kotzebue Sound region, extending its nesting area far within the circle. It arrives at 
Saint Michael's about the middle of May and leaves the coast region about the last of August or 
first of September. It is unknown on the islands of Bering Sea and on the Asiatic coast. 

CORVID^. CROWS, RAVENS. 
CORVUS CORAX CARNIVORUS (Bartr.) Ridgw. 

(46.) The American Raven. 

This bird is found abundant in many places, and is more or less common everywhere on the 
islands and about the shores of this region. On the Aleutian Islands it is perhaps in its greatest 
abundance, and is remarkably familiar, frequenting the roofs of houses and the open ground 
immediately in front of them, with as little regard for the presence of man as might be expected 
from the ordinary barnyard fowl. Even in this place, however, it keeps its weather eye out for 
the deadly gun, and the moment one appears with this implement in his hand the ravens become 
remarkably scarce in that immediate vicinity. Their curious evolutions high in the air, preceding 
and during a storm, are curious to witness, and they are one of the most striking features to a 
new-comer in the islands. Upon the Seal Islands the crow is unaccountably absent, though it is 
familiar on all the other islands of Bering Sea. The Siberian and American coast alike are 
frequented by it both summer and winter. Nordenskiold found crows wintering in the vicinity of 
the Vega, on the Arctic coast, and during my winter journeys along the Alaskan coast I found 
them everywhere, though less numerous at this season than during the summer. 

PICA RUSTICA HUDSONICA (Scop.) Baird, 

(47.) The Black-Billed Magpie. 

At the head of Bristol Baj- this bird has been taken on a few occasions, and this, so far as my 
knowledge extends, limits the range of the bird on the coast of Bering Sea, although it is found in 
the interior much farther north. 

PERISOREUS CANADENSIS FUMIFRONS Ridgw. 

(48.) The Smoky-Fronted Jay. 

In the interior this bird is one of the most common residents, and stray individuals wander to the 
shore of the Arctic and Bering Sea from Aliaska Peninsula north to the shore of Kotzebue Sound. 
H. Ex. 105 10 



74 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

They are {generally found about the mouths of streams, whose bushy borders afford them the sheltered 
highway which their skulking instinct leads them to favor. The only specimen I ever saw close 
to salt water was on the shore of Bering Sea, at Cape Komanzoff. We had camped at this cape the 
night before and were just leaving it as a heavy sea began to run. Pushing off, we had gained a 
few yards from shore when an odd note caused us to look back, and there, perched on a small bush, 
close by the remains of our camp fire, stood one of these birds uttering his ludicrous cries, as if 
making sport of us for not finding him earlier. The waves rendered the landing so dangerous that 
we were obliged to leave the bird in possession, and whenever I recall the scene at this camp the 
foreground in the mental picture is occupied by the serio-comic attitude of this bird as he dirted 
his tail and mocked us from his safe vantage-ground. 

ALANDID.E. SKYLARKS. 
EREMOPHILA ALPESTRIS LUCOL^MA Coues. 

(49.) The White-Throated Shore Lark. 

This bird occurs very rarely on the coast of Bering Sea. I secured a single specimen at Saint 
Michael's — the first of May — and one or two others have been taken in that vicinity, besides which 
I have no record of its occurrence anywhere within the regiou under discussion. The numerous 
visits made by ornithologists to these sliores, during the last few years, aud the scarcity of this 
bird in their collections prove it to be a great rarity in this region, both on the American and 
Siberian shores. Farther to the eastward, iu the interior, the bird is more common, but is still 
rare, until the farther interior of the continent is reached. All the Alaskan specimens examined 
are referable to the name heading this article, aud it is presumable that shore larks from 
Northeastern Siberia would be referable to the same. It is uot known to occur on the Aleutian 
or any of the other islands in Bering Sea. It has been found nesting as far north of the old world 
as Nova Zeuibla and Spitzbergen ; but it was not seen by us on the shores of Wrangel or Herald 
Islands nor on the adjacent Siberian coast. 

TYRANNID^. FLYCATCHERS. 

EMPIDONAX PUSILLUS (Swains.) Bd. 

(50.) The Little Flycatcher. 

Two specimens of this bird, obtained by me at Saint Michael's in the spring, are the only 
ones found on the shore of Bering Sea. They add very considerably to the bird's known range. 

PICIDiE. AVOODPECKERS. 
PICUS PUBESCENS Linn. 

(51.) The Downy Woodpecker. 

The Downy Woodpecker, a common species in the interior of Alaska, makes frequent 
visits to the sea-shore iu the north, especially during the spring and fall. It is then found about 
the alder patches, and rarely visits the houses. I obtained a number of specimens from the 
flagstaff and sides of the storehouse at Saint Michael's, during my residence there. It is more 
numerous at the mouths of the larger rivers, as the Yukon and Kuskoquim. Here the close 
api)roach of the wooded interior to the coast renders its presence common, and it even nests close 
to the sea-coast in the bushes on the lower Yukon. It is not known from any island of Bering 
Sea nor from the Siberian coast, but is found in the alders about Kotzebue Sound at times. 

COLAPTES AURATUS (Linn.j Sw. 

(.52.) The Yellow-Shafted Flicker. 

This is a still more uncommon bird on the shore of Bering Sea. It approaches the coast about 
the head of Norton Sound, and in rare instances on Kotzebue Sound. During the winter of 1878, 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN EST THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 75 

I obtained a skin from a native on the coast near Bering Straits, and was informed that the bird 
occurred there rarely in summer, and that it nested regularly among the scattered forests a short 
distance in the interior. It is unknown elsewhere in the region under discnssion. 

ALCEDINID^. KINGFISHERS. 
CERTLE ALCYON (Linn.) Bole. 

(53.) The Belted Kingfisher. 

Although a not uncommon resident in the interior, along the numerous water courses, this 
bird is extremely rare on the sea-coast. A single specimen was brouglit in by a native from the 
shore near the mouth of a small river to the north of Saint Michael's, and I heard of its capture at 
one or two other places on the shore of Norton Sound. Elsewhere I do not know of its occurence, 
although it is likely to be found about Bristol Bay and perhaps the shores of Kotzebue Sound, 
where several fresh-water streams occur. 

STRIGID^. OWLS. 
ASIO ACCIPITRINUS (Pall.) Newton. 

(54.) The Short-eared Owl. 

Along the entire Aleutian chain and thence north along the mainland of Alaska to Point Bar- 
row this bird is found. As a summer resident on the Aleutian Islands, Dall found it rather com- 
mon and found it nesting in burrows on the hillsides. In May, 1877, I found a pair of short-eared 
owls near Unalaska frequenting the hillsides and becoming very active after sunset. Several times 
while hunting, at this time of day, I disturbed the birds and found them extremely shy, so much so 
that they would take flight a hundred j'ards or more in advance, uttering at the same time a loud 
rolling cry. During the several years succeeding this I found they arrived the last of May or first 
of June along the coast of Alaska to the north, where they are summer residents and at times 
quite numerous. There is no record of the bird from the islands in Bering Sea, with the exception 
of the Aleutian chain, though its well known wandering habits undoubtedly take it to them at 
times. Neither is it recorded from the adjacent coast of Siberia, but its range extends through 
this region. On the Alaskan coast of the Arctic it is found nearly if not quite to Point Barrow. 

ULULA CINEREA (Gmel.) Bp. 

(55.) The Great Gray Owl. 

This fine Owl can be reckoned as a very rare visitant to the shores of Bering Sea, its prefer- 
ence for wooded country limiting its range to those parts of the interior where spruce and other 
trees afford it congenial shelter. Stray individuals -occur at times along the shores of Norton 
Sound, where the near approach of the forests to the sea along the banks of the various streams 
flowing into the sound afford it a convenient highway. As might be inferred from the lack of 
timber, it is a totally unknown species on all the islands of Bering Sea, and I do not think it is 
found on the opposite Siberian coast, unless by accident, as the following species vists the Alaskan 
shore. 

ULULA CINEREA LAPPONICA (Retz.) Ridgw. 

(56.) The Lapland Owl. 

But a single instance is known of this bird's occurrence in the region covered by this paper 
and the only American record as well. This record rests upon a specimen secured some years 
since by L. M. Turner at Saint Michael's, Norton Sound. It is a well-known species in the wooded 
parts of North Europe and Siberia and only occurs on the bare, forbidding coast countr^^ as a 
stray wanderer. 



Y6 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

nyctale teomalmi. 

(57.) Teg malm's Owl. 

This old-world form of tlu^ Nortlieru Sparrow Owl claims admittanco to the North American 
fauna by the capture of a siujile individual near Saint Michael's, Alaska, by Mr. L. M. Turner, 
beyond which there is no otlier record of it on our shores. It is found tlironghout Northern 
Siberia wherever woodland occur-s, and like the Lapland Owl reaches the open coast by merest 
chance, its jireference being for the sheltering forests of the interior. 

NCYTALE TEGMALMI RICHARDSONI (Bp.) Ridgw. 

(58.) Richardson's Owl. 

This Owl, although a bird of the wooded interior, also ranges along the bushy borders of the 
various water courses and reaches the shores of Bering Sea and Kotzebue Sound at rare and 
irregular intervals. It is well known to the natives, who called it "The Blind Owl," because it 
cannot see well during the day-time and is easily caught alive by the hand. In the interior it 
becomes quite numerous, and on the lower Yukon nests as low down as the vicinity of Koilik, 
whence I have a set of its eggs. The bird is found resident here though oidy a few miles to the 
sea-coast. But this is exceptional, as elsewhere the surroundings are not favorable for its presence. 
The natives of the interior (Indians) catch this bird, tie a small i)iece of dried fish to its back, and 
and let it go, claiming they will thus secure good fortune in the hunt and in other matters. 

BUBO VIRGINIAANUS SUBARCTICUS (Hoy) Ridgw. 

(.59.) The Northwestern Horned Owl. 

Among the Owls which pay occasional visits to the coast of Bering Sea in Alaska, as well as 
to the southern portion of its arctic shores, this bird may be reckoned as the most common. 
Scarcely an autumn passes but a number of individuals are seen occupying conspicuous places on 
piles of drift wood or other prominent i^laces along the shore in the vicinity of Saint Michael's and 
thence north where it is well known to tlie natives. Occasionally it becomes bold enough to 
frequent the vicinity of the houses, but this rarely occurs. Like the preceding owls, with the 
exception of the first mentioned, this is unknown on any of the Bering Sea islands. It is also 
unknown from the Asiatic shore, so far as any records which I have seen go to show. 

NYCTEA SCANDIACA (Linn.) Newt. 

(00.) The Snowy Owl. 

From the Kuskoquini month, north along the entire Alaskan coast, as also on the northern 
islands in Bering Sea, the Siberian coast of this sea, and on tlie coast of the Arctic, this is a 
resident bird, perhaps most numerous in winter along the Arctic coast. It is not uncommon in 
summer to see this owl i)erclied along the brow of the clifls fronting the shore to the north of 
Kotzebue Sound. It is found to be extremely shy even in these far-oil' regions, and it is almost 
impossible to approach within rille shot. As we landed upon Wrangel Island and ascended the 
slope of the liill rising from the beach one of these birds arose over 200 yards in advance and made 
off as though his experience of mankind had been anything but agreeable ; yet it is certain that his 
habitation at that time had never before been disturbed by man. During some seasons, when the 
lemming abounds at any particular point, this bird becomes correspondingly numerous and preys 
upon this small rodent. At times, however, it attacks and kills the northern hare, and is one of 
the most dreaded enemies of the ptarmigan. In winter it glides on noiseless wing close along the 
surface of the snow, its white plumage blending so completely with the white landscape that it is 
followed with the greatest difficulty by the eye; ever and anon it vanishes and i-eappears like a 
shadow, as it takes its course along the shore or over the open country. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER OORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 77 

SWINIA FUNEREA (Linn.) Rich. & Sw. 

(61.) The American Hawk Owl. 

Like most of the wood-frequentiiig birds, this is also a rare visifaut to the sea-coast of Bering 
Sea and Kotzebue Sound, where it occurs at intervals in the fall and sining. I secured a fine 
specimen from the top of the flngstafl'at Saint Michael's, where it sat looldng down upon the people 
moving about and did not siiow the slightest sign of fear, until it was brought down with a broken 
wing. When approached it threw itself in an attitude of defense and its unquailing eye 
commanded one's admiration for bold and undaunted courage. It occurs in about equal frequency 
with the Horned Owl, and is well known to the Eskimo, who confound it to a certain extent with 
Richardson's Owl. 

STIRNIA FUNEREA 0LULA (Linn.) Ridgw. 

(62.) The European HawkOwl. 

One specimen of this bird has been taken on the Alaskan coast, by L. M. Turner, near Saint 
Michael's, in winter. It is known from the Siberian shore and throughout Northern Siberia, 
frequenting the wooded portions of the country, with occasional stray visits to the sea-coast. Both 
this and the preceding are totally unknown on the islands of Bering Sea, and of exceediug rarity, 
if they occur at all, along the neighboring Arctic coast. The approach of the wooded country 
along the Bering Sea shore aflbrd the i)recediug form more convenient opportunities to reach 
the neighborhood of the sea, yet their visits in these places are few and very short. 

FALCONID^. HAWKS. 
HIEROFALCO GYRFALCO CANDICAUS (Gm.) Ridgw. 

(63.) TkE White Gtrfalcon. 

The winter of 1879 I obtained a single skin of this fine Falcon from a native on the Alaskan 
coast near Bering Strait. This is the oidy instance I have ascertained of its occurrence on our 
coast, although Mr. Dall learned from the people at Saint Michael's, during his residence there, 
that the bird occurred at rare intervals; and he adds thsit a little north of Bering Island one of 
these falcons alighted in the rigging of their vessel and remained with them for some time. 

HIEROFALCO GYRFALCO SACER (Foist.) Ridgw. 

(64.) MacFarlane's Gyrfalcon. 

Although the previous variety is of such rarity on the coast of Bering Sea, the present form is 
one of the most abundant birds of prey found in this region. A siugle specimen obtained by Elliott 
on the Seal Islands forms the only record from that group. But Dall found it on *the Aleutian 
chain and from the Peninsula of Alaska north to Point Barrow on tiie American shore and across 
the straits, occupying the islands of that region and the coast of Northeastern Siberia. 

This Gyrfalcon is common and is a resident throughout the year. It nests along the clifl's 
bordering the seashore, or in the interior occupying the bluffs along the river banks. It is most 
numerous in autumu, when the young are found about almost every rocky cliff on the coast, and 
it carries destruction among the migrating ptarmigan at this season. It has been claimed that 
this Falcon has a heavy and slow flight, but after one watches the great ease with which it 
overhauls a ptarmigan iu full flight its power of wing is readily proved. 

FALCO PEREGRINUS NJEVIUS (Gm.) Ridgw. 

(05.) The American Duck Hawk. 

A very rare species in the interior of Northern Alaska. This Hawk is of still greater rarity 
on the coast of Bering Sea, where it is found only as an excessively rare visitant in the spring and 
autumn. It is unknown from the islands and Siberian coast of Bering Sea and from the adjacent 
coast of the Arctic ou either side. 



78 OKUISB OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OOEAK. 

FALCO PEREGRINUS PEALEI Ridgw. 

(GO.) Peale's Falcon. 

Alonpf the Aleutian Islands Dall fDiind this bird rather common and nesting at various points 
In his "List of Birds West of Oiitialaska," lie heids the list with this species, having it identified 
as Fnlco gyrfalco. Mr. Ridgway informs me that this bird, of which ho has examined the specimen 
obtained by Dall and upon which the erroneous identification was based, is in reality a typical 
Falco pealei. On September 23, 1.S81, as the Oorwin api)roached Ounalaska front the north six or 
seven of these birds were seen, one after the other, approaching from the east, and, after a 
circuit about the vessel, frequently coming within thirty or forty yards, they would make off to the 
west. At this time the island was nearly twenty miles distant. This was the only time that the 
bird was observed during the ten days spent at Ouiuilaska. It is unknown north of the Aleutian 
Islands, although it undoubtedly extends farther north along the Alaskan shore. 

.aSSALON COLUMBARIUS (Linn.) Kaup. 

(67.) The Pigeon Hawk. 

This well-kuown Hawk occurs along the entire Alaskan coast north beyond the shores of Kotze- 
bue Sound. Across Bering Sea it has been taken at Plover Bay and several other points on that 
coast. Of the woodland birds of prey this is one of the most common species to visit the barren 
coast region, and may be looked for as a rather frequent and regular visitant along the shores of 
Norton Sound, Baring Strait, and Kotzebue Sound in spring, summer, and autumn. A skin was 
brought on board the Corwin from one of the islands in BeriTig Strait in the summer of 1881. 
Although numerous in the portions of this region named, it is yet unknown from tlie Aleutian and 
Seal Islands, the bleak, rugged character of their shores probably proving unattractive to this small 
but bold Falcon. 

PANDION HALI.3:TUS CAROLINENSIS (Gm.) Ridgw. 

(68.) The American Fish-Hawk. 

In the interior the Fish-Hawk is a not very uncommon bird as far north as the wooded country 
extends ; thence it occasionally visits the shores of Bering Sea. Two were seen the last of May at 
the Yukon mouth in 1879, and two specimens were brought me from the head of Norton Sound 
during the summer of 1878. These records include all the information I possess regarding this 
bird on the coasts herein treated. Whether it is found on the Siberian shore or not in these high 
latitudes I have no information, although its presence to the south in the Kurile Islands and 
southward render it probable that it does. 

CIRCUS HUDSONIUS (Linn.) Vleill. 

(69.) The Maesh Hawk. 

A common migrant along the Alaskan shore of Bering Sea, occasionally found on the Aleutian 
Islands and extending its range north beyond Kotzebue Sound. It undoubtedly occurs upon the 
adjoining coast of Siberia, although I do not possess any record of its having been observed there. 

ACCIPITER FUSCUS (Gmel.) Bp. 

(70.) The Sharp-shinned Hawk. 

Like the Pigeon Hawk, the Sharp-shinned Hawk occurs during the entire summer season, from 
spring to fall; but, unlike the former, it is of considerable rarity and found, as far as my information 
goes, only along the Alaskan coast, including the shores of Bering Sea and Kotzebue Sound, but 
not extending to the islands of this sea nor to the adjoining coast of Siberia. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAK 79 

ASTUR ATRICAPILLUS CWils.) Bp. 

(71.) The American Goshawk. 

Wherever the Ptarinigau is fouud iu the vicinity of the wooded country, and frequently far 
distant from a tree or bush, this bold, hardy bird is found as its unwelcome companion. In spring 
the Goshawk is occasionally seen passing over Saint Michael's as the first warm, sunshiny days 
begin. Then on, until the breeding season is over, it is seen no more. But in autumn it 
returns to the sea-coast in considerable numbers; about equaling the Gyrfalcon in abundance 
for a time, and like that species preying upon the migrating Ptarmigan. 

Among the many records of this bird's boldness, I possess an additional one obtained during 
the visit of the Corwiu to Kotzebue Sound in September, 1881. I had winged a Ptarmigan on 
the top of the famous ice clifl' of Escholtz Bay and the bird fell just beyond a small knoll from 
me ; the instant the Ptarmigan struck the ground, I was surprised to see a Goshawk dart out 
from a small alder patch near at hand and witii a graceful inclination pick up the bird and make 
off with it; which so surprised me that I stood watching the performance until the hawk had 
made good its escape. As it flew away a second bird, evidently its mate, joined it, and the two 
passed over the hill and disappeared from view. 

By a careful comparison of specimens in the Smithsonian Institution with the considerable 
series obtained by me in the north, I have reached the conclusion that Mr. Ridgway's variety 
Striaiutus is nothing but the plumage assumed by the older birds, as is readily shown by several 
specimens iu which the change made from the immature plumage to that of the adult is taking 
place. Mr. Ridgway has examined the same series and concurs with me in this conclusion. 

ARCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS SANCTIC-JOHANNIS (Gmel.) Ridgw. 

(72.) The American Rough-legged Hawk. 

Along the entire Alaskan coast of Bering Sea and the Arctic, including at least the eastern 
portion of the Aleutian Islands, the Rough-legged Hawk is a common resident iu summer. At 
Ounalaska I found a pair breeding upon a cliff near the village, and secured one of the birds with 
their eggs in May, 1877. At Saint Michael's it was found nesting upon cliffs on the border of a 
small lake in the interior of the island, and the bird was among the most common of the migrating 
birds of prej'. The Ouualaskan specimen is indii^tinguishable in every particular from a European 
specimen in the Smithsonian collection, and the basis for the separation of the American bird from 
that of Europe and the northern portions of the Old World generally is merely iu the black phase 
assumed by the American bird in the Hudson Bay and adjoining region. In Alaska this phase is 
unknown as far as my observation goes, and is totally unrepresented iu the considerable series of 
specimens ob ained by myself and various others iu that region. This being the case, and various 
Alaskan birds which I have examined being so closely related to the old world form, it api)ears 
necessary to recognize them under the name of the old world bird. Thus limiting the geographical 
variety, Sancti Johannis, to that portion of the continent where it actually occurs. 

The Rough-Leg occurs iu Siberia, and in China is a species with dark feathers to the thighs, 
but very similar iu other respects to lagopun. 

AQUILA CHRYSAETUS CANADENSIS (Linn.) Ridgw 

(73.) The Golden Eagle. 

This is one of the rarest among the birds of prey on the shores of Bering Sea and the adjoining 
portion of the Arctic Ocean. I know of no record of its occurrence on the Asiatic shore nor on 
the islands of Bering Sea, but in the winter of 1879 I saw portions of one of these birds in a 
native village near Bering Strait, and fragments of their skins were brought to me in one or two 
instances from the shore of Norton Sound (hiring my residence at Saint Michael's. The quills and 
tail of this bird, like those of the Bald Eagle, are highly prized by the Eskimo for use in their 
religious festivals. 



80 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIO OCEAN. 

HALIAEETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS (Linn.) Savig. 

(74.) The Bald Eagle. 

Aiiioiifj tlie Aleutian Islands this eag^le is very abmnlatit, and frequently a.s many as ten or 
fifteen may be seen in a single day over a limited area. It is a denizen here, finding an 
abundance of high clitl's and crags upon which to rear its young, and about which it soars in fine 
weather. North, along the coitst, this eagle i.s rather uncommon, owing mainly to the very low, 
flat character of the country. Wherever the coast becomes mountainous or dilVs abut on the sea- 
shore one is pretty certain to find one or more pairs of these birds in the vicinity. It ranges 
considerably within the Arctic Circle wherever the mountainous character of the country is such 
as to attract. The abundance of reindeer and other game has its influence as well. During my 
residence at Saint Michael's a number of birds were seen passing over, and quite a number of 
skins were brought me by the Eskimo from various points along the coast to Bering Straits and 
Kotzebue Sound. 

The great Sea Eagle of the Kamtchatkau coast and Bering Islands has been reported from 
the Aleutian chain, but the Bald Eagle was undoubtedly mistaken for it. 

TETRACNID.E. GROUSE. 
CANACE CANADENSIS (Linn.) Bp. 

(75.) The Spkuce Partridge. 

This, one of the handsomest of our grouse, occurs from the Northern States through British 
America to the shores of Bering Sea, at the head of Norton Sound, where the spruce forests 
approach and directly border on the shore. It is not abundant here but is a sparing resident and 
breeds. Further in the interior it becomes more numerous. Its range may approach the sea-shore 
again about the head of Bristol Bay, where the forest reaches within a short distance of the coast; 
but we have no data from that region. In the wooded interior of Siberia this fine grouse is 
represented by a closely related form, falcipennis, which is not known to approach any of the 
shores under discussion. The Spruce Grouse from the vicinity of Bering Straits is identical in 
every way with specimens from Maine and New Brunswick, and thus shows less sensitiveness to 
climatic influence than the following species. 

BONASA UMBELLUS UMBELLOIDES (Dougl.) Baird. 

(70.) The Gray Ruffed Grouse. 

In the same localities as the preceding is found occurs this bird, which forms the northern 
variety of the familiar Partridge, or Rutted Grouse, of the entire eastern North America. I had 
no opportunity to learn anything of si)ecial interest concerning the habits of either this or the 
preceding species along the coast region mentioned. With the exiieption of the wooded country 
at the head of Bristol Bay there is no portion of the Bering Sea coast where either the Spruce or 
Rutted Grou.se would occur, as the remainder of the shore and all the islands are destitute of trees. 

LAGOPUS ALBUS (Gm.) Aud. 

(77.) The White Ptarmigan. 

The White Ptarmigan, or Willow Grouse, occurs in greater numbers in Northern Alaska than 
all the other species of grouse combined. Along the northern portion of the country wherever 
open country occuis it is found in abundance, and especially along the shores of Bering Sea 
and the Arctic Ocean, where it breeds in great numbers. The last of April and first of May 
throughout this region, from the mouth of the Kuskoquim River north to Point Barrow, the loud 
notes and peculiar movements of the males form oiieof the most characteristic features at this 
season, and rentier the birds very conspicuous. It is found on the adjoining coast of Siberia as 
well as on the American shore, but does not occur dli the Aleutian Islands, with the single exception, 



CRUISE OF STEAIMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 81 

perliiips, of tlic easteruiiiost island adjoining- tiie peiiinNula of Aiia.ska, where two species of 
Ptarmigan are -said to occur. To the west of the island on the Aleutian chain it is not found, 
being replaced by the species mentioned below. Neither is it found on the fur seal nor any of the 
other islands in Beiing Sea, with the possible exception of Saint Lawrence. In the autumn, just 
previously to the severe winter storms, there is a jtartial migration of this Ptarmigan from 
the Arctic coast south to the valleys of the Yukon and Kusko(iuim, whcsre the sheltering thickets 
of willow and alder aft'ord it refuge during tlu; winter. x\s spring re-opens it passes to the 
north and regains its breeding grounds. Some of the hardier among these birds, however, remain 
during the entire winter in the extreme north. On Septembers, 1881, while the (Jorwin lay in 
Kotzebue Sound, tli(;se Grouse were gathering in considerable flocks, j)reparitig for their southern 
migration. They were found along the shore where the abunilant supply of berries afforded them 
food. They were attended as usual by numerous Goshawks, and sevei'al Gyrfalcons were seen in 
the vicinity. In spring, while the males are paying court to the objects of their choice, they select 
some slight elevation, such as a prominent knoll or a snow bank, upon which they take their stand 
and utter their loud, harsh note of defiance, or do battle with some roving free-laiu'C of their kind. 

LAGOPUS RUSPESTRIS (Gm.) Leach. 

(78.) The Rock Ptarmigan. 

Along the eastern shore of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean in Alaska, wherever the mount 
ains or higli hills approach the sea, this grouse occurs. It is found in the immediate vicinity of 
Saint Michael's, frequenting the hill-tops in summer and seeking the shelter of the willows and 
alders about their bases in winter. On the coast to the north, reaching the vicinity of Bering 
Strait, I found them numerous in the winter of 1879. They are much more unsuspicious than the 
preceding species, and will allow a very close approach, standing with their heads raised inquir- 
ingly and a pretty air of wonderment about them. In winter their beautiful milk-white plumage, 
with the sharply contrasted jet-black bill and bar through the eye, renders them very hand- 
some objects, particularly when seen in life. Their shape and moveiueuts on the grountl are also 
much more graceful and elegant than those of the ordinarj^ Pt.armigan. They exist in far smaller 
numbers than the White Ptarmigan, and their range is more restricted, owing to the low and little 
varied character of the northern coast country. Wherever low mountains or hills occur throughout 
the iu>rthern portion of the territory, however, this bird may be confidently expected to occur. On 
the Aleutian Islands it is rein-esenfedby forms which are mentioned below, and the Siberian shore 
has a form perhaps identical with this; but, as Professor Nordenskiold records those taken by the 
Vega party at their winter quarters as L. siibalpinus, this name is accepted as applying to the North- 
ea.stern Siberian bird, since there are no specimens at liand from that region. 

LAGOPUS RUPESTRIS (Gm.) Leach. , 

(79.) Rock Ptarmigan. 

On the Island of Ounalaska, thence to the eastward and also to the westward for an uncertain 
distance, occurs the handsome Ptarmigan designated above. Of this form there are but two 
specimens in existence in the summer plumage. These are a male and female obtained by me on 
the hills back of Ounalaska in the spring of 1877. The winter bird, of which the Smithsonian 
possesses a single exami)le obtained by Mr. Dall, is indistinguishable from the winter plumage of 
the ordinary Rock Grouse. This specimen lacks the black border through the eye, but this 
character appears to be merely individual. This is the species which in Mr. Dall's papers on the 
birds of the Aleutian Islands he designated as the White Ptarmigan, Lat/opus albus, and in 
the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club for 187 I recorded the capture of the two 

specimens previously mentioned under the name oi Lagopus riq)e.stris. 

Beyond the more ca[)ture of the bird there is little known of its habits, the only data which I 
can furnish being that it frequents the mountain tops and slopes among the Eastern Aleutian 
Islands, and is common there, breeding during June. 

The detailed description of this form will be given in the account of the Birds of Ala.^ka, now 
in course of preparation. 
H. Ex. 10,5 11 



82 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

LAGOPUS RUPESTRIS OCCIDENTALIS Turner. 

(80.) Atkhan Ptarmigan. 

At the western end of the Aleutian chain occurs another form of I'tanuigan, as is shown by 
specimens secaued on the Ishiud of Atkha by Mr. L. M. Turner during his residence at tliat place. 
This form differs in several important respects from the Onnalaskan birds, as it does also from the 
bird of the mainland. Mr. Turner has designated his interesting variety as given at the head of 
this paragra])h, and desitribes it in his Contributions to the Ornithology of Alaska, which at the 
l)resent writing is being prepared. Concerning the habits of this form I possess no information. 
Its distribution, however, must be limited, since it is found only on the western extremity of the 
Aleutian chain, and very probably forms merely a local race peculiar to the island where obtained, 
])erhaps extending its range to the few adjoining islands. 

LAGOPUS ALPINUS. 

(81.) SuBALPiNE Ptarmigan. 

On the north coast of Siberia occurs this form, according to the narrative ot the Vega's voyage, 
in which Nordenskiold records finding this species resident at their winter quarters on the Siberian 
coast to the northwest of Bering Straits. In the middle of December he found a tlock of fifty of 
them at Tapkan. Still farther to the west along the share occurs this or an allied species, as 
Iledenstrom records, a species of Ptarmigan wintering upon the Xew Siberian Islands, which is 
the same as is found on tlie adjacent coast of Siberia. It seems remarkable that these birds should 
be able to sustain life during the intense cold and fierce storms which sweep over these desolate 
Arctic islands. Nordenskiijld, in his Voyage of the Vega, states that they found a "fell" in the 
winter of 1872, Just south of the eightieth parallel, on Spitzbergen, where about 1,000 of these birds 
wintered. He thinks some of these at times hybernate in ci-evices among the rocks or pass the 
winter " in a kind of toipid state." Whether this hybernation theory is justified by the facts or not, 
it certainly ap])ears very curious that these grouse are able to winter in 80° north latitude, passing 
safely through the several weeks of continuous total darkness which occurs there in midwinter, 
and be found fat and vigorous as soon as the sun appears above the horizon; yet such are the 
recorded facts. Just how the bird manages to exist during this time remains to be satisfactorily 
accounted for. The s^iecies found in Spitzbergen, to which tliis relates, is the lAigopm Hyperhoreus. 
.lust what the relationship is which the IJock (irouse of Northeastern Siberia bears to those found 
on the adjacent coast of North America and to the Aleutian Islands races remains a question to be 
solved only when a sufficient series of the birds from the various regions in (juestion may be brought 
together. At present the material in this [luzzling group is entirely insufficient to make any definite 
statement on the matter, and it will remain for some future explorer to solve the problem. It is to 
be hoped that some of the present parties now in that region will bring material which will aid in 
settling tliis interesting subject. 

H.EMATOPODID.I-:. OYSTER CATCHERS. 

h^matopus niger pall, 

(82.) The Black Oyster Catcher. 

The JJlack Oyster Catcher, although one of the most robust of the waders found in the North 
does not extend its range beyond the shores of the Aleutian Islands, and thence across to the 
Kurile Islands and adjoining Asiatic coast, where it is recorded by Pallas. 

STREPSILAS INTERFRES (Linn.) Illig. 

(83.) The Common Turnstone. 

Along the entire Alaskan coast, from the Aleutian Islands north to Point Barrow, this bird 
is a summer resident, although it does not occur in abundance at any point. Its habits are very 
similar to those of the other small waders with which it associates during this season. In autumn 



CRUISE OF STEAMEll COKWJN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 83 

it passes to tlie south, aud is found on the various islands of IJering >Sea, except perhaps the 
Aleutian chain, where it is yet to be recorded ; although, as it has been found abundant during 
the migrations on the Seal Islands by Elliott, there is no doubt whatever that it also visits the 
Aleutian chain. In addition to migrating along the west coast of America it also passes along 
the Asiatic coast, by way of tlie Kurile Islands, to Japan and soutiiward, where it has been 
recorded in winter, and the Sniithsouian has recently received spring binls in breeding plumage 
from Japan. To the north along this coast it occurs as far as Bering Strait, if not beyond. A 
number of pairs were seen mated and with nests on Saint Lawrence Island the last of June, ISSl ; 
and while the Corwin was coaling in the vicinity of Cape Lisburne, during the first of August, 
1881, I found these birds quite numerous ou the hills back from the coast, where they had been 
breeding earlier in the season. The young were on the wing at the time of our visit, and were 
found with tlieir parents seeking their food about the dry, hilly portions of the country in prefer- 
ence to their usual haunts along the sea-shore or low grassy flats. They were seen afterwards 
near Point Barrow and at Kotzebue Sound. 

strepsilas melanocephala vig. 

(84.) The Black Turn.stone. 

This species is far more numerous on the coast of Alaska during the summer than is the 
preceding. It breeds abundantly about the coast of Norton Sound, and its familiar form is 
met everywhere on the flat, grassy marshes and about the borders of brackish pools in this region. 

As the Corwin approached Wraugel Island, during the first of August, on her several 
attempts to reach that land, small parties of these birds came off and circled about the ship, with 
wistful curiosity, as if to iufpiire the cause aud purpose of this invasion into these heretofore unap- 
proached shores. They were also observed once or twice iu the vicinity of Herald Island. 

On shore at Wraiigel Island we did not see a single example of these birds, although our 
hasty visit might readily account for this. They occur on both coasts of Bering Sea. Their 
winter home, so far as recorded, appears to be confined to the west coast of America, as no 
instance is known to me of its capture during this season on the southeast coast of Asia. It may 
be remarked here that among tlie very large collection of these two species of Turnstones obtained 
by me in the North aud compared wMth the extensive series from that region which exists in the 
Smithsonian collection, there does not appear to be the slightest intergradation of the characters 
showing an approach of the two fotms; so there is every reason for agreeing with Mr. Ridgway 
and terming the Black Turnstone a distinct species. The common Turnstone of the Bering Sea 
coast and Eastern Asia, perhaps including those which are found on the islands of the South 
Pacific, appear to show an average much darker plumage than birds from middle and north- 
eastern America, and it is possible that it may be necessary to separate it from its eastern relative 
as a geographical race, in which case the varietal nsivae pacificus is proposed for the new form. 

CHARADRIID.E. PLOVERS. 
APHRIZA VIRGATA (Gmel. ) Gray. 

(85.) The Si^rf Bird. 

During several successive autumns at Saint Michael's, I had the good fortune to secure speci- 
mens of this widely spread and interesting bird. It had pre\ iously been taken along the coast of 
the North Pacific, reaching the southeastern shore of Alaska and thence .southward, but the 
present record is the first of its occurrence in Bering Sea and places its range beyond (iM" north 
latitude, and it undoubtedly reaches the vicinity of Btn-ing Strait, which lies but a short distance 
farther to the north. In the vicinity of Saint Michael's it frequents the rocky shores of the small 
outlying islands and the capes, whose rugged beach lines aflbrd them congenial haunts. Their 
habits and feeding grounds are exactly those of the WaTidering Tattler, aud both species occur 
in autumn or during the entire month of August, which answers in this latitude to the beginning 
of autumn in more southern latitudes. They are never common, but appear as stray individuals 
aud are not shv. 



84 CRUISE OF STEAM KK (OKNVIN IN TflK AKCTIC OCEAN. 

SQUATAROLA HELVETICA (Linn i Cuv. 

(S6.) The 15i>ack-belliki) I'i-ovek. 

This liaiKlsoiiicly iiliiiiiiij;i'(l Plover ivaclies the shores of Hcriii^ Sea in .May, ami leinaiiis to 
broeil al various points, trc(iiicntinj;- the vicinity of the larger river months Ity preference, although 
if occurs at various other points itlonj;- the coast. Its range also extends to the Asiatic Shore, 
where it is not numerous, and north to Point Barrow, iu Alaska. It has not been recorded from 
any of the islands of Bering Sea, although from its known range on the mainhind it umloulttedly 
occurs on many of tliem. 

CHARADRIUS DOMINICUS Mull. 

(87.) The .Amekkan Cot-uen I'lover. 

The large form of the Golden Plover, which is so familiar to all in the Eastern United States, 
extends its summei- range north and northwest to the shores of the Arctic Ocean and tlience to the 
entire Alaskan coast of Bering Sea, ranging oc(!asionally to the adjacent Siberiari shore and the 
ishinds in this sea, whence specimens have been obtained. Along this portion of its range, 
including the Bering Sea islands and the North Abiskan coast, its habitat intermingles with that 
of the small Asiatic form, which also comes to these northern latitudes in summer to rear its young. 
The (iolden Plover is one of the handsomest as well as most interesting of the waders occurring 
in tht! North, and its gentle habits and sweetly modulated notes make it a very welcome visitor. 
During the mating season the males have a rich liijuid song of the most musical character, and 
their beautifully blended black, white, and golden i)lnmage renders them very conspicuous. 

CHARADRIUS DOMINICUS TULVUS (Gmel. i Ridgw. 

(8S.) The Pacific Golden Plover. 

The tirst record of this form on American territory was in Elliott's "Condition of Atfairs in 
Alaska." Here is described a single specimen of typical fiih us which he obtained upon Saint Paul 
Island. During my residence in the North I gathered a large series of (jolden Plover, mainly 
from the coast of Norton Sound, and among these I found every step of gradation between the 
large Eastern American and small Eastern Asiatii; form. A stuange fact to be noted here is that 
the adults taken on the Bering sea-coast of Alaska average large, and show characteristics which 
render them more closely allied or identical with the Eastern American form, whereas the young- 
birds taken in the same localities are so covered with rich golden si)ots and shading that they 
would be unhesitatingly refernul to the variety /({/(•((.v. .\long the entire Asiatic; shore of Bering 
Sea tiiis form occurs as a summer resident, wherever the country is sufticiently level to afford 
it proper feeding ground and breeding i)laces. It was also one of the few birds we found on 
Wrangel Island, a single S]tecimen iu breeding plumage being seen when we made our landing on 
the 12th of August. As in tin; case of the Turnstone, the Golden Plover is yet to be recorded 
from the Aleutian Islands, although it must necessarily visit them during its migrations. While 
midway between Ounalaska and California, the 1st of October, 18S1, a small Hock of these birds 
were seen passing overhead, steering their course directly for the, Sandwich Islands, which were 
about one thousand miles distant at the time. They make this long flight twice annually, passing 
to and fro across the entire North Pacific, and winter u])on the Sandwich Islands, summering 
uorth of the Aleutian chain. 

iEGIALITES SEMIPALMATUS Bouap. 

(89.) The Semi-Palmated Plover. 

On both shores of Bering Sea, extending on the Alaskan coast from the peninsula of Aliaska 
north to Point Barrow and along the entire northeastern Asiatic coast. To the northwest of 
Bering Strait, wherever we landed from the Corwin during the summer of ISSI, these birds were 
found, although sjiaringly. It was not seen abundantly in any locality, but a pair of adults were 



CRUJSE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 85 

found iu almost every instance where we nuule the hind except on Wrangel and Herald Islands. 
It was found on Saint Lawrence Island, in Bering Sea, and I noted it as a regular but not numerous 
summer resident on the shore of Norton Sound. 

iEGIALITES MONGOLICUS. 

(DO.) The Mongolian Tlover. 

There is a single record of this bird's occurrence iu Alaska. 

Two specimens were obtained on Choris Peninsula, in Kotzebuc Sound, during the summer of 
1849, by the English search-ship Plover, and were for a long time in Sir John Barrow's collection, 
presented a few years since to the University Museum at Oxford, where the examples are to be 
found at present. The record of this is in the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society" of 1871, 
page 11(», where Mr. J. E. Harting makes various interesting riMuarks concerning the different 
birds in this collection. 

SCOLOPACID^. SNIPE. 
GALLINAGO MEDIA -WILSONI (Temm.) Ridgw. 

(91.) Wilson's Snipe. 

This bird is abundant in the interior of the /ur countries, where it breeds. It is among tlie 
most uncommon of the waders found along the shores of Bering Sea, where, however, it breeds in 
small numbers. It also occurs on the Arctic coast, especially about Kotzebue Sound, but is 
unknown at any of the Bering Sea islands or the Northeastern shore of Siberia, although its 
range undoubtedly includes this latter region, as we found the following species there. 

MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS SCOLOPACENUS ^Say) Coues. 

(92.) The Red-Bellied Snipk. 

The present species largely replaces the latter on the shores of the American coast of Bering 
Sea and is extremely abundant. Its peculiar habits and odd notes in spring make it one of the 
most conspicuous waders found along our shores. In fall it is silent, but abundant in flocks 
everywhere along the flat coast wherever brackish pools and shallow tide creeks afl'ord it suitable 
feeding ground. It is also found about the shores of Kotzebue Sound and still further north, and 
breeds throughout this range. We found it (common at Cai)e Wai'ikarem, on the North Siberian 
coast, on August 6, 1881. Ibit there is not a. record of it from the islands in Bering Sea. 

ARQUATELLA MARITIMA (Brunu.) Baird. 

(93.) The Aleutian Sand Piper. 

Along the entire Aleutian chain this Sand Piper, lately described by Mr. Ridgway, is a 
common resident, breeding throughout its range and straying northward along the entire Bering- 
Sea coast during the autumn. Although it does not breed anywhere in the region about Norton 
Sound, yet during August and September, up to tlie closing of the sea bj' ice in October, it is 
very numerous. The I'urple Sand Piper, mentioned by Pallas as occurring on the Kurile Islands, 
answers to this species, and this being the case, the range of this bird must be extended to these 
islands and the adjoining coast of Asia. Tlie present bird is known to have been captured on the 
Asiatic shore, in the vicinity of Bering Strait, and the record of Nordenskiold of Tiiiu/d nua-itima, 
occurring at his winter quartei's to the northwest of Bering Strait, must refer to the present bird, 
since the true Purple Sand Piper is replaced in this region by the i)resent form. This record of 
Noi'denskiold is the tirst one we have of the presence of this bird in the Arctic, though on the 
American coast it also occurs iu autumn on the shores of Kotzebue Sound. It is exclusively a 
shore bird, and if it occurs at all in any region may be confidently looked for wherever the coast 
is most rugged and strewn with rocks to the water's edge. Most of the former records of Triiuja 



86 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWI>f JN THE AHCTIC OCEAX. 

maritima in lU'iiii^' Sea and Uw adjoininj;- ivj;ioiis rcfor to tlir incscnt bird, with an ocrasioual 
reference to the following species when speaking of the Seal Islands. This species, couesi, winters 
on the Alentian Islands as well as along the shores of the mainland in the Sitkan region and 
south. 

ARQUATELLA PTILOCNEMIS iCouesi Ridgw. 

(91.) The Pkiuvluv 8.\nd Piper. 

This curions Snipe is limited in sninnicr to the Knr Seal Islands, and thence extends north 
to Saint Matthew's and to Saint Lawrence Islands, the tirst and only record of its occurrence on 
the latter island being a pair ol)served by ns on the sonthern shore .June 24, ISSI, when we landed 
from the Corwin during a gale. The male was seen keeping close to the native huts, and was 
very unsuspicious, allowing us to ai)proach within a few paces ; he kept rising on vibrating 
wings in the face of the tierce wind blowing over the summit of the hill on which we found him, 
and uttering a sharp, metallic, trilling note, much louder and harder than the somewhat similar 
note of Trin<i<t Hcmiimlmata. 

Thus far, although this bird is known to be a migrant, leaving its summer home on the 
islands mentioned at the approach of winter, its habitat during the cold season is unknown. 
Whether it is confined to the southern shore of the Aleutian chain or passes to'sonie portion of 
the American or Asiatic coast yet remains to ha ascertained. 

ACTODROMAS ACUMINATA i Horsf. 1 Ridgw. 

(!).">.) The Siiakp Tailed Sand Piper. 

The first knowle<lge of tliis bird's occurrence on the coast of America was obtained by me at 
Saint Michael's, where it is an abundant species every autumn, coming during August and 
remaining until the sharp frosts of the api)roaching winter cause it to hasten away. Following 
my capture of the sjjecies comes its cajjture on the coast of Kotzebue Sound, at Hotham Iidet, the 
1st of September, 1880, by Captain Hooper, on the Corwin, during his first cruise in the Arctic; 
and on the 9th of Septemlier the same season Dr. Bean, on the Coast Survey schooner Yukon, 
secure<l a second specnmen at Port Clarence, Bering Strait, and this concludes our i)resent 
knowledge of the distribution of the species on the American coast. During the summer of 1881, 
on the 1st of August, we landed from the Corwin on the northeast coast of Siberia, in the vicinity 
of Cape Waukarem, aud found these birds numerous, feeding on the tiats which were closely 
bordering the shores of the AVctic Ocean ami sparingly grown up with fine grass. From the 
actions of the birds at this time it was evident that they had nested in the vicinity, and this region 
is probably the true summer home of this handsome species. During the migration it has been 
taken in .Tapan and along the east coast of Asia, and is known to winter in Australia and Southern 
India. 

ACTODROMAS MACULATA (Vieill.) Coues. 

(!)().) The Pectoral Sand Piper. 

On the American co.ist of Bering Si'a, as also at Kotzebue Sound, this bird is a comnujn if 
not abundant sumnu!r resident. It is perhaps most numerous about the Yukon mouth, where it 
was preparing to breed in considerable numbers early in June. 1879. It is unknown from any of 
the Bering Sea islands, but on the north coast of Siberia, during the summer of 1881, we found 
them numerous in company with the Sharp Tailed Sand Piper. At several jwints where we 
landed it was found wherever grassy tiats occur aftording it proi)er feeding grounds. In a recent 
letter to the New York Herald, received from Mr. K. L. Newcomb, the Naturalist of the Jeannette, 
we learn that on the 18th of August, 1889, while their vessel was frozen in the ice to the northwest 
of VVrangel Island, a pair of these birds canu^ on board. This extends their known range north to 
about 7(i° of latitude, aud renders it probable that they breed on the islands of the Arctic Ocean 
in this region. 




cc 



CRUISE OF STEAMER (;ORWIX IX TOE ARCTIC OCEAX. 87 

EURINORHYNCHUS PYGRANUS (?) 

((•7.) The Spoonbilled Sand Piper. 

This peculiarly marked bird has recently had several very interesting additions made to its 
known history by the observations made by Xordenskiold in the spring of 1870, by Dr. IJean in 
the summer of 1880, and myself in 1881. Ou the northeast coa.st of Siberia Xordenskiold records 
this bird as occurring in such numbers that ou two occasions in spring it was served upon 
their mess table on board the Vega while they were lying frozen in at their winter quarters. It 
arrived in spring at Tapkan, with the first bare spots, early in June, and disappeared in .July. To 
the westward, in the same vicinity, during the summer of 1881, I saw several of these birds, and 
at Plover Bay, on tlie Bering Sea shore of the same coast, secured a tine adult fenuile in breeding 
phunage, t^ken on June -G. Xothing peculiar was observed in its habits, and I api)roached the 
bird without difficulty or its showing the slightest concern as it stood ou the flat at that place. 
The bird was first seeu feeding in the shallow water at the edge of a pool, and then stood with its 
head drawn back and without paying the slightest attention to me until it was shot. It is a hand- 
somely plumaged^species,^is is shown in the accompanying plate by Mr. Ridgway. There is a 
siugle known instance of its occurrence ou the American coast, aiul this was at Hotham Inlet, 
where a specimen was secured by the English ship Plover during the summer of 1S49. The record 
of this specimen is in the proceedings of the London Zoological Society for 1871, page 110, where 
we learn that this specimen taken on Choris Peninsula, Hotham Inlet, was lately presented to the 
Oxford Museum, among other birds in the collection of Sir John Barrow. 

In the Ibis for 1875, Mr. Swiuholm records a specimen killed at Ilakodadi, Japan, in September, 
and it is wellknowu as a winter resident in the south of Asia, its summer home beiug appareutly, 
from the records we now ])ossess, the northeastern Arctic shores of Asia. There have been 
various records of the bird in Europe, and especially in Fr.ince. Bat Mr. Harting doubts their 
authenticity, and says: "M. Jules Verreaux has ri'cently informed me that no specimen of Eury- 
norhynchus ever existed in the Paris Museum, and that the bird to which liessiiig refers under the 
head of Eurynorhynchus Griacui, and a s[)ecim('u under Erolia caria, Vieillot, is nothing less than a 
Trlnga with the hirul toL's cut oft' and bill remodeled with the aid of some warm water." 

The proceedings testified to the rarity of this species in French Museums, and the manner 
in which an artificial evolution may be encompassed. Mr. Harting continues by stating tluit nothing 
is known of its nesting, and he refers to the unexplored region of Northeastern Asia as the place 
likely to afford light on this point as well as upon a number of other little known species, and his 
surmise has proved correct in this instance at least. A passable figure of this bird i.'i breeding 
plumage, taken from the specimen secured on the Choris Peninsula by the Plover, is to be found 
in the Ibis for 1869. Up to October of this year twenty-four specimens were known to Mr. Harting, 
of which twenty-three were recorded from Southern India, and these were doubtless all in winter 
plumage. 

The description of the specimen secured by me is as follows: Crown feathers with blackish 
centres edged with rusty reddish approaching- chestnut. Back of neck with the dark centres 
becoming much fainter and the borders rufous, changing to butty reddish, which, in addition to 
edging the feathers, appears to wash their surface and the dark central portions. The back and 
scapulars have well marked black centres edged with rufous butty and grayish intermixed. The 
tertials have dark browuish centres edged with grayish and russet. Wing coverts light brown 
edged with gray. The secondaries largely white, and an imperfect wing-bar formed by the white 
tips to the secondary coverts. Quills grayish brown approaching black at the tips. The chin is 
whitish, washed with a jjale shade of rufous, this latter shade becoming blight o\er the sides of 
the head and entire lower surface of neck, reaching the upper portion of the breast. The forehead 
and around the base of bill washed with grayish over the rufous bases of feathers. The breast is 
rich butty, changing to white on the posterior half of breast an<l entire abdomen. A scattered 
baud of dark opaque shaft spots cross the breast, and extend back on the sides which are other- 
wise white. The tail is dark ashy brown; bill, foot, and tarsus black. The wing measures .3.95 
inches; the tail, a])])roximately, l.."iO inches. This member was injured by shot to such an extent 



88 CRUISE OF STEAMER COR WIN JN TOE ARCTIC OCEAX. 

that the i)ertei:t diuieusious caiiuot be secured. Tarsus, .90 inch; culmen, .ttO iucb; width of 
expanded tip, .47 inch. Tlie hind toe is perfect but minute. The toes are not webbed. 

ACTODROMAS BAIRDI Coues 

(1>8.) Uaird's Sand Pipkr. 

Ah)iiy the Arctic coast, from Point Hoj)e to Point Barrow, during the summer of ISSl, wlierever 
we lauded from the Corwin this si)ecies was found common, especially at Point Barrow, where 
forty or fifty were observed scattered about the edges of the pools and sand-s]>its at that place 
during our visit. It occurs spai'ingly on tiie 8il)erian shore, an<l a young bird has been sent to 
the Smithsonian Institution whicii was obtained on Arakamachechi Island, near Saint Lawrence 
Bay. On the coast of Norton Sound it is a rare liird, occurring only occasionally during the 
migrations and rarely if ever breeding in that vicinity, it is not recorded from any of the Bering 
Sea islands, although it is undoubtedly found on Saiid Ijawrence during the nesting season and 
visits the others as a stray migrant. 

ACTODROMAS MIN0TILLA (Vieill. i Bp. 

(99.) The Least Sand Pipeu. 

Like the preceding, this Sand Pi2)er is very rare on the Norton Souiul shore of Bering Sea, 
and thence north along the Arctic coast. It is considerably outnumbered by the last species. 
There is no record of its occurrence on the Siberian shore, nor is it known from any of the Bering 
Sea islands. 

PELIDNA ALPINA AMERICANA Cass 

(100.) The Red Backed Sand Piper. 

About the entire Bering Sea shore of Alaska, north of Kotzebne Sound, and across along the 
adjoining coast of Siberia, wherever we landed during the summer of 1881, this bird was found 
abundant. A number of specimens were secured at Cape Wankarem, on August 7, 18S1, and are 
identical with specimens secured on the American coast. It breeds wherever found iu this region, 
and is one of the commonest waders, arriving at Saint Michael's early in ISlny, and it appears 
throughout this regiou as rapidly as the snow leaves the ground sufficiently bare for birds to 
secure their food. It was also noted as common on Saint Lawrence Island, in Bering Sea, but it 
is unknown elsewhere on the islands of tins sea, except as an occasional visitant to the Seal 
Islands during the migrations. 

EREUNETES PUSILLUS iLinn.) Cass. 

(101.) The Semi-palmated Sand Piper. 

Alohg the entire Alaskan coast, from the Peninsula of Aliaska to Point Barrow, as well as 
on the coast of Northeastern Asia and Saint Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, this small Sand Piper 
is a common summer resident, breeding wherever the land bordering the coast is level and dotted 
with pools or lakelets. It is perhajis the most iibuudant of the waders throughout this I'cgion, 
and its rai)id trilling note is heard on every hainl during the day in the mating season. 

CALIDRIS ARENARIA (Linn.) lUig. 

(102.) The Sanderling. 

In Mr. Ball's list of the birds of Alaska he gives the present species as common at Nulato 
and thence down the Yukon to the sea-coast. During the time of my residence in the territory, 
and incbnling the various jioints visited during the cruise of the Corwin, on both the Siberian and 
American shores, not a single individual of this lird was seen. It occurs, however, in this 
I'egion, but is irregular, and I am inclined to think somewhat rare. We learn from a letter in the 
New York Herald, from Mr. Newcomb, that while the Jeannette party were passing to the mouth 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 89 

of the Lena there was a considerable number of these birds seen upon Thaddeiis Island, one of 
the Liakhov Croup, on August 30, ISSl, and they secured twelve of the birds. This is not a well- 
known bird in these rejjious, but specimens have been seen and procured by nearly every Arctic 
expedition, and its circumpolar distribution renders still more straufje the great scarcity of the bird 
on the Norton Sound siiore, where during the four years I passed there not an individual was seen. 
It is known, however, from the eastern coast of Asia, on the shores of Japau and China, as well as 
on the Kurile Islands and along the Pacific coast of America in the middle latitudes. 

LIMOSA LAPPONICA NOV^-ZEALANDIi9E! Gray. 

(103.) The Pacific Godwit. 

Occurring during both migrations on the Aleutian Islands and thence north along the other 
islands of Bering Sea, and abundant on the Bering Sea shore of Alaska during the breeding 
season. It is not known to nest, however, except on the mainland, merely occurring during its 
passage to and fro upon the islands mentioned. It is also known from Nortlieasteru Siberia, 
although no examples were seen during the summer of 1881 at the points we visited in the Corwin. 
Nor was it seen to the north of Bering Straits, either on the shore of Kotzebue Souiul or beyond, 
and I do not know of its occurrence there. The loud notes of this bird and its large size render it 
one of the most conspicuous among the waders of the Bering Sea coast of Alaska. Its presence 
there in considerable numbers makes it a characteristic and important member of the avian fauna. 
They arrive in the vicinity of Saint Michael's the last of May or first of June, and after nesting 
leave for the South during August, a few only remaining until September. 

IiIMOSA HJEMASTICA (Linn) Coues. 

(101.) The Hudsonian Godwit. 

Mr. Dall secured two specimens of this bird at the Yukon mouth during bis explorations in 
that region, beyond which there is no record of its presence on the coast of Bering Sea. , I did not 
see a single individual in that region, aud it must be of considerable rarity. Nor is it known from 
any of the Bering Sea islands and the Asiatic coast. 

TOTANUS FLAIRPES (Gmel.) Vieill. 

(105.) The Yellow Legs. 

This bird is an extremely rare accidental visitant to the coast of Bering Sea in Alaska. It 
is perhaps more numerous at the Yukon mouth than elsewhere. In the vicinity of Saiut Michael's 
two or three specimens were secured during four summers, mainly in August, after the breeding 
season was over, when, like many other birds, these appear to wander from their breeding grounds, 
visiting parts of the country unknown to them in the breeding season. 

HETEROSCELUS INCANUS (Gmel.) Coues. 

(106.) The Wandering Tattler. 

Every summer, as the end of July approaches or August begins, this bird makes its appear, 
ance about the rocky islets and coast along Norton Sound, in the vicinity of Saint Michael's. Its 
habits are very retired, and unless its haunts were visited not a single individual would be seen. 
In spring it occurs very sparingly, and has been taken at this season even up the Yukon to 
Nulato aiul Anvik, and undoubtedly a few breed in this region ; but the majority are birds which 
have wandered from nmre southern points. It occurs ipiite frequently on all tiie islands of Bering 
Sea, their rocky shores and isolated position apparently rendering them favorite grounds. NVhen 
disturbed on their I'eedirig grouiuls tbese tattlers usually show l>ut little alarm, but lly on easy 
wings a short distance, and when they alight are readily secured. They are rarely seen except 
singly, although several may l)e found at times in the same vicinity. The young birils obtained 
in fall are less brightly marked tlian the spring adults. Their note is a loud, ringing whistle, 
which seems specially litted to the bird and the haunts it occupies, aud as the shrill cry re-echoes 
H. Ex. 105 12 



yO CRUISE OF STEAMKK COKWIN IN TllK AHCTKJ (K'KAM. 

fiDm ilif lowoiiiij; flirts atid ledjji's at tlie basi' of wliicli it focils ii.s pcfuliar character aud 
intonation niijjlit load one to lancy some genie of the rocks was ntteiing its cry. When the birds 
are aiiproached by boat, as they are feeding along the water's edge, they ascend gradually, with 
an exjiression of mild curiosity, and pass from ledge to ledge until they reach a jutting i)oint on 
the face of the clilf or its brow, where they stand iu relief, like beautiful, clear-cut statuettes, and 
do not utter a sound or move until they are still further alarmed, when they take tlight, uttering 
at the same moment their lou<l note before mentioned. This bird is as common ui>on the Bering 
Sea shore of Siberia as it is upon the Alaskan coast, but it is not known to the north of Heriug 
Strait on either coast. 

TRYNGITES RUFESCENS Vieill. i Caban. 

(107.) TnK IJl'FFBREASTEl) SATVD I'lI'KR. 

Like the preceding sjtecies, this handsomely iilumaged biril is a great wanderer. It is found 
ovei' nearly thc^ entire glolie, especially the continental jMirtions, and wends its way regularly in 
spring to nest in the far northern regions. On the coasts of Hering Sea it is rare, a single pair 
obtained at Saint .Michael's in spring being the only tWo that 1 saw during a four years' residence 
llu'ic. On the north sidcr of Siberia, however, it was found (piiti; common in the vi<!inity of (Jape 
VVaiikarein early in August, ISSl. Although it is so uncommon iu the Bering Sea region, it is 
very aliundant at various points ou the Arctic coast, and the lowt'r cour.se of the Anderson Hiver 
in British America maybe especially mentioned, as it has been found breeding tluM-e in the 
greatest abundance. 

NUMBNIUS HUDSONICUS Lath. 

(lo-^.) The HuDsoNiAN Curlew. 

This Cuiiew is mainly known on the shore of Norton Sound as a migrant in the siuing and 
autumn ; a few, howevei-, remain to breed there. A.s the snow disappears in siuing towards the 
end of Ma^v, the loud clear whistle of this species is a welcome sound, as it announces the mild 
weather of early summer. Kemaiiiing but a short time at this sea.son, the majority i)ass still 
further to the north. In autumn they return early in August or the last of July, and feed ui)oii 
tlie various ripening berries until into September, when they depart for the south. It is unknown 
on the islands of Bering Sea and adjoining shores of Northeastern Siberia. It is. however, found 
on the Alaskan slnu'e, north to the vicinity of roint Barrow, and undoulttedly visits Saint 
Lawrence Island and the Siberian coast during the summer. 

NUMENIUS BOREALIS (Foist.) Lath. 

(109.) The Eskimo Curlew. 

Tliongh much siiialler than the latter, this bird considerably outnumbers it, aud is much more 
common during all the summer season on the coast of Norton Sound. Its habits and haunts are 
almost identical with those of its larger relative, except that it breeds more frefjuently in the 
southern parts of its range. Both forms appear at the Vukon mouth in sjjring, and sparingly 
iluring the breeiling sea.son. Both reach high iu)rthern latitudes, at least to the limit of continental 
lands. At Waidvarem, on the North Siberian coast, August 6, ISSl, four specimens of this bird 
were seen passing over, aud were the only Curlews seen upon the Siberian coast during our various 
visits to that shore. Klliott has recorded its presence on the Seal Islands during the migrations, 
and it probably visits njost of the Bering Sea islands at this tiine. It occurs all along the Arctic 
coast of Alaska, wherever suitable lowlands occur. 

NUMENIUS TAHITIENSIS (Gmel.) Cass. 

^110.) The Bristle-thighed Curlew. 

Although this is the largest Curlew found on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska, it is as well the 
most uncommon. The only record of its presence there rests ujk)!! the capture of a single male 
in the spring of 1880, when I saw a pair feeding upon the last year's berries, which covered the 



CRUrSE OF STEAMER CORWIN IX THE ARCTIC OCEAX. i)l 

slightly elevated land bordering an extensive series of flats. It had a loud, clear note, very 
similar to that of the Hudsonian Curlew, and was not shy. I readily approached them, and 
secured the male, and afterwards severely wounded the female. The only other instance of its 
capture in the north is the single s])ecinien secured at Kodiak by Biscliotf, in 18 — 

It is a well-known bird on the islands of the South Pacific, where it e.vists in great nundiers, 
but its presence in the Xorth is rather unexpected, and like that of several otlier birds, notably 
the Pacific Golden Plover and Pacific Ixodwit, which wander to subartic regions in summer, its 
winter home is among those islands dotting the South Pacific. 

PHALAROPODID.E PHALAIiOPES. 
PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS (Linn.) Bp. 

(111.) The Red Phalakope. 

The present handsome si)ecies is extremely abundant on the Alaskan and Siberian coast of 
the Arctic, north to Wrangel and Herald Islands and thence south along both shores of Bering 
Sea. It breeds from the mouth of the Kuskoquim River, north along the coast of Alaska, and on 
the Sibeiian coast, mainly along the northern shore. Throughout the breeding season it is limited 
rather closely to the shore, but when the young are tledged and able to follow their parents all 
leave the shore behind or frequent the lagoons and brackish lakes in the immediate vicinity of the 
sea. The few vessels which break the monotony of these northern waters in summer find dcttting 
the waves on every hand these buoyant and graceful birds, their quick, agile, and elegant 
movements attracting attention, while their numbers render them conspicuous as they wheel and 
circle in flocks about the vessel, their wings flashing in the sunlight. 

To the whalers in this region they are known with the next species as " bowhead birds," from 
their habit of feeding upon minute animalculfe which afford the right whale or bowhead its food. 
Hence a community of interests attracts these pigmies and the largest cetacean of the North fo 
prey upon the same fare. A logical deduction follows, based upon experience, by which the 
whalers predict the presence of whales wherever this elegant bird is to be found in great numbers. 
We saw it repeatedly while cruising in the ice off Wrangel and Herald Islands and thence a('ross 
the Arctic to Point Barrow or the Bering Sea coast. The calm spaces between the large fields and 
blocks of ice afford favorite resorts for the members of the numerous bands of Phalaropes along 
the edge of the i)ack. They are quite plentiful around the entire Arctic Zone and are familiar to 
fishermen, whaleis, and explorers who visit this dreary region. They are among the few species 
which the forbidding climate of the highest latitudes does not appear capable of deterring fri>m 
making their summer home there. Xordenskiold found this bird's eggs laid on the bare ground of 
Spitzbergen, and reports it as the commonest species along the north coast of Asia. 

LOBIPES HYPERBOREUS (Iiinn.) Cuv, 

(112.) The Northern Phalarope. 

Like its relative just mentioned, the Northern Phalarope is an extremely abundant bird in the 
north, although its disposition is perhaps less maritime and less northern than the one just 
described. On the Bering Sea coast of Alaska the Northern Phalarope is in great excess of its 
stouter relative. Thence north the Red Phalarope is the more numerous, and especially so in various 
parts of the Arctic. Ou the northern coast of Siberia the Northern Phalarope was found sparingly, 
whereas the other species was in the greatest abundance. Both forms unite in the same riocks 
and were found throughout the sea as far as the Corwiu penetrated daring the summer of 1881 ; 
but in this part of the range the Northern Phalarope, in spite of its name, was less and less 
numerous the farther north we advanced, while the other species was in equal number throughout. 
Both birds occur during the migrations about the Aleutian and other islands of Bering Sea. But 
the Northern Phalarope appears to be the only species breeding in the Aleutian chain and thence 
north to Saint Lawrence Island, where the Red Phalarope nests. We learn from Nordenskiold 
that the Northern Phalarope breeds on Nova Zembla and at the New Siberian Islands, besides 
being found all along the North Siberian coast. 



92 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IX THE ARCTH; OCEAX. 

GRUID^ CRANES. 
QRUS FRATERCULUS Cass 

(113.) The Little Crank. 

From the Peniusula of Aliaska north along the mainhiiid of Alaska to Ivotzebue Sound this 
small northern representative of the well-known Sand Hill Crane is found breeding in abundance, 
especially towards tlie northern portion of this range. It also occurs on Saint Matthew and Saint 
Lawrence Islands, though it occurs in small numbers at these points. During his visit to Saint 
Matthew's Island on August 9, 1874, Elliott saw a few of these birds, and it has been found on the 
East Siberian coast, in the vicinity of Saint Lawrence Bay, whcue Xordenskiold saw a considerable 
number of them as he was passing south in July, lS7!t, after wintering in the Arctic. Until very 
recently this bird has been confounded with the larger Saiul Hill Crane, and various authors 
who have referred to Griis Canadensis from the northern region of America, according to our 
present knowledge, referred to the present bird, which occupies this territory exclusively. On the 
coast of Xorton Sound it is extremely common, and throughout the summer, from early iu May 
until toward the end of September, its loud, rolling note an<l tall figure stalking over the flats are 
among the most characteristic sights and sounds of this region. They are not very shy, and 1 
have fre(piently approached them within gunshot by merely ai)pearing not to notice them but 
continuing in a narrowing circuit to walk round their position until within sixty or seventy-five 
yards, the bird continuing to stare stupidly at me and uttering its long note and appearing as if 
doubtful whether it was worth while to take wing or not, until its thoughts were accelerated by a 
shot. They are extremely curious at this season, and I have frequently decoyed them within gun- 
shot by lying upon the ground and waving a hand or some conspicuous article in the air. As the 
birds approach from a distance they will almost invariably turn and try to investigate the matter 
before passing on their way. In many cases they only nmke a slight detour from their course and 
I)ass on, but I have frequently had six or eight of the birds circling about until .some would 
api)roach within thirty-five or forty j^ards, offering an easy prize. Their food is composed of the 
various berries which grow so abundantly on the tundra of the north with an addition of what- 
ever other palatable morsels are found, such as a stray lemming or mouse, or even insects and 
other small fry that chance may afford. TLey ai-e not very good eating, although crane steak takes 
its turn in varying the sameness of the fare in the Xorth. 

AXATID^. DUCKS, GEESE. 
OliOR AMERICANtrS iSharplessi Bp. 

(114.) Whistling Swan. - 

During the cruise of the Corwin this fine bird was observed but once. Tliis occasion was on 
July 15, while we were at the hcsad of Kotzebue Sound, where it was found with (piill feathers 
molted, as were the geese at that place. Although the swan was seen so rarely during this 
expedition, yet the bird is to be found in large numbers along the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea. 
Here it breeds, especially from the Yukon mouth south to the mouth of the Kuskoquim River, 
where the flat land, dotted with innumerable marshy lakes, aflbrds a favorite resort. It was not 
seen on the Siberian coast, and I have no record of its occurrence there, but this or an allied 
species occurs there. On the American shoi-e but a single species of Swan occurs, the large 
Truini)eter Swan not being known west of Fort Yukon. We learn from Mr. Dall's paper on the 
birds of the Aleutian Islands that several specimens of this swan were shot upon Sanak Island in 
September, some years ago. but they are unknown from the Aleutian chain i>roi)er and from the 
other islands in Bering Sea. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORAYIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 93 



CHEN HYPERBOREUS (Pall.) Boie. 

(115.) Snow (Joose. 

On the American coast of the Arctic and Ucrins; Sea this bird is not very abuudant. It occurs 
however, in considerable tlocks for a few days duri»s the spriu- and fall migrations; and each 
season a f. w are killed in the vicinity of Saint INlichaers on Norton Sound. Its occurrence upon the 
north coast of Asia is attested by specimens captured by Nordenskiiild's party at Tapkan in the 
sprino- of 1879 These birds are, at present, like the Swan, unknown from the islands of Bering Sea, 
their migration apparently taking an inland course rather than along the shore lines. Although 
the Snow Geese are known to nest in the greatest abundance in the Ander.son River aud surrounding 
reoion alono- the northern coast of British America, yet their nesting place in Alaska is unknown. 
They certainly do not remain to nest anywhere along the Bering Sea coast, and we did not see any 
of these birds along the Arctic shore to Point Barrow; so that if they nest at all in this region it 
must be ou those flats bordering the Arctic shore east of Point Barrow. In autumn they leave for 
the South among the last of the migrant geese, finding their way to the viciuity of Saint Michael s 
towards the end of September, although in some seasons they appear before the middle of this 
month; they linger here in autumn from ten days to three weeks, depending upon the weather to 

a great extent. . 1 1 ^ <.<• * ;f 

The <rreat abundance of this bird in California during the winter season would testify to its 
breedino-ln great numbers somewhere to the north of this region. But according to my observations 
on the Beriuo- Sea coast of Alaska the bird must take some other route towards its northern 
breedin<^ oround, and it must undoubtedly pass north from California, and soon after cross the 
mountahi ranges to reach their eastern slope, after which the geese pass to the Arctic by an inland 
course; otherwise the Snow Geese would be found in greater abundance on the coastsof this northern 
territory. 

ANSER ALBIFROUS GAMBELI (Haiti.) Coues. 

(116.) The American Whitefronteb Goose. 

This is the most widelv distributed and abundant Goose throughout Northern Alaska, extending 
its habitat across to the Siberian coast of Bering Sea, and nesting as well upon Saint Lawrence 
Island We found it in considerable numbers at the head of Kotzebue Sound the middle ot July. 
1881, and found mauv of the adults with their wing feathers molted aud unable to fly, and the 
vouno- still in downy plumage at that time. It is extremely common from the mouth of the Kusko- 
quim''River to the head of Kotzebue Sound, nesting everywhere; thence north to the extreme 
Arctic coast of the territorv. Wherever one goes, in suitable places, this bird is certain to be 
found. During the spring and fall migrations the White-fronted Goose is found occurring rather 
sparingly throughout the Aleutian chain, having been taken at Attou, Ounalaska, and Sauak: but 
their visits are only made at this season, as none arc known to remain and breed. 
BERNICLA CANADENSIS LEUCOPARIA (Brandt) Cass. 

(117.) The White-cheeked Goose. 

The distribution of this bird along the shores of Northern Alaska is almost identical with that 
of the White-frouted Goose, with the addition, however, of the Aleutian chain, which is contained 
within the breeding range of the present bird. Like the last species, it was found .'"« ^^''S j^ "^^ 
head of Kotzebue Sound ou July 15, 18SI, where it was very numerous. It occmrs m the g.eatest 
abundance in the vicinity of the Yukon mouth and along the ad.oining poiiion of that < oast 
There is no record of its presence on Saint Lawrence Island, but on the western portion ot the 
Aleutian chain it is a regular summer resident, rearing its y..iing in considerable numbers upon 

the isolated islands there. i . , .f fi,«<.. hints! 

The natives at these western islamls have domesticated considerable numbers of the^e bud., 

aud whether caused by confinement or otherwise, the white collar on the neck, dividing the browu 



94 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIX IX THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 

of tlie body-color from tlie jetblrtck of the lieail and neck, was very conspicuous, and an inch in 
width in some specimens seen at Ounalaska the autumn of 1S81. The small flock of these Geese 
seen at Ounalaska, with their dark, handsomely contrasted colors and gentle ways, made very 
interesting and tine-Iookiug pets. They were noted upon the Seal Islands liy Elliot, who tells us 
that they occurred there as irregular or straggling visitants, which remained but a short time 
before resuming their line of migration. There is no record of this species from the Siberian shore, 
where, liowever, it undoubtedly occurs. It reaches the extreme northern coast of Alaska, where 
it breeds. 

BERNICLA CANADENSIS OCCIDENTALIS iBairdj Dall & Bann 

(lis.) The [iAR(»KR WlllTK-CIIEEKED COO.SE. 

The present bird, although intorgrading with tlif latter species, (litters in ordinary examples 
sufiiciently to be readily distinguished, iiuiinly by its lighter colors aud larger size. Its distribution 
is somewhat dill'erent as well. I do not know of its occurrence on the Aleutian chain ; and, in fact, 
its abundance appears to be greatest at the Vukon mouth and thence up this river, and perhaps to 
the southward. Xorth of the Yukon mouth it is much less common than the smaller form, and at 
Saint Michael's ten of the smaller birds were secured to every one of the larger form. At the 
Yukon mouth the i)roportion of the two forms is about equal. All of the birds seen sufficiently 
near to ascertain their identity while we were in Kotzebue Sound were of the smaller form, an<l I 
doubt if the larger bird (the subject of the present notes) occurs in any cousiderable numbers nortli 
of the Bering Sea coast, excei)t in the interior, where it is found along the course of the Yukon. 

The true Canada Goose, so well known in Eastern North America, is unknown anywhere on 
the lower Yukon and tlie coast of Alaska, either on tiie Bering Sea or Anttic shores. 

BERNICLA NIGRICANS i^Lawr.) Cass. 

(lilt.) The Black Brant. 

On the shores of Bering Sea, including the various islands ami Alaskan coast, the Black Brant 
occurs in large numbers during the si)ring migrations. During this season it is in such numbers 
that it art'ords better sport than all of the other geese combined, and is the bird which recurs most 
frequently on the fur-trader's table at that season. In autumn it occurs much more rarely, only 
straggling parties being found along the sliore as autumn closes. In Ball's notes on the ornithology 
of the Aleutian Islands he speaks of securing the eggs of this bird on the Semicki Islands, near 
Attou, and at Kyska and Amchitka. This note, liowever, is to be referred to the White-cheeked 
Goose which breeds on these islands, but the Black Brant is unknown there during the breeding- 
season. Its farthest south ijreeding ])oint which I have been able to ascertain is the Yukon mouth, 
where I saw a single bird in June, 1879; thence north it is extremely rare until the vicinity of 
Bering Strait is passed, after which occasional pairs occur with more or less frequency during the 
breeding season, until the low imrthern coast from beyond Cape Lisburne to Point Barrow i.s 
reached, ami thence eastward the bird breeds in great abundaiuje wherever the flat marshy country 
affords it suitable giouiuls. While at Point Barrow in August, 1881, a considerable number of 
these birds were brought oil by the natives, and an examination showed that they were moulting 
their quill feathers, thus proving conclusively that they were summer residents in the vicinity. 

Captain Smith, an experienced whaler and trader in these waters, has assured me of having 
seen these birds going and coming to the northward of Point Barrow, thus proving the existence 
of land farther north in that direction. They are also known to breed in the greatest abundance 
along the northern shores of British America, selecting the lower courses of the large rivers which 
flow into the Arctic in that region. The natives informed me that occasional pairs were found 
breeding in the vicinity of Saint ;\Iichaers, but that they were extremely rare. On the first of 
June, 1879, a single pair were seen by me a fev/ miles south of that place, and by their anxiety 
showed plainly that their nest was in the vicinity. This, with the single individual seen at the 
Yukon mouth, is the only instance which came directly to my knowledge of its occurrence during 
the breeding season south of the Straits. Although it undoubtedly occurs on the Siberian shore. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 95 

yet it was not uoted by us durinjj our cruising aloug tliat coast in the summer of 1881, nor was it 
seen on Wrangel Islaud, although on this islaiid we saw evidences of the i)resence of some species 
of geese ; but our short stay prevented our ascertaining their identity. Mr. Ball tells us that upon 
his return to the coast of Oaliforuia in the latter part of October enormous flocks of these birds 
were seen about oue hundred miles off shore as they were flying south, frequently alighting in the 
water near the ship. 

PHILACTE CANAGICA (Sevast. | Bannist. 

(120.) Empkbob (1oo.se. 

This strange and haiitlsonie bird has the most limited range ol'any American species of Ooose. 
It summers and raises its young on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska from the mouth of tiie Kusko- 
((uim River north to Bering Strait; but north from the Yukon mouth it is found very rarely. 
From tho, Yukon month soutli to Cape Vancons'er may be taken as the point of its greatest abun- 
dance. Here it occurs in tliousan<ls every summer. From this point it extends its range to the 
westward, and ociMirs in considi^rablc niMubers upon Saint Ijawrence Island, wlu>re wc; saw 
consid(!rable nnudiers of them during .June 2t, ISSI, while we were lying at anchor off the north- 
west end of tlie island. During this time aliumlaiit Hocks of these birds were passing and 
repassing along this end of the island, ajtparcntly on tlieir way to and from somt^ favorite 
feeding ground. 

At East Cape several birds wei'c seen the lirst of -Inly, and tlicy were found by Nordenskirild, 
arriving at his winter cpiarters at Ta]tkan on the northern coast of Siberia in the spring as soon as 
the snow left; and he speaks of them in his account of the Yega's voyage as the "Painted 
troose" of Pallas. There is a record of two or three instances of their occurrence in Port Clarence, on 
the American shore of Bering Strait, and 1 know of two paii's beiug taken iu Golovuin Bay on the 
north coast of Norton Sound, and others at Shoktolik, on Norton Bay, with the chain of occurrences 
continued south by Saint Michael's to the Yukon mouth. But at all these points except the last this 
bird is very rare. Just how numerous it is on the Siberian coast is still unknown ; but from its large 
numbers along the American shore and its wintering habitat restricted mainly to the Aleutian 
Islands, where it is found iu the greatest abundance at this season on the various parts of the 
chain, it may be confidently designated as an American species which extends its range during 
the summer to portions of the northeastern Siberian coast. My first acquaintance was made with 
this bird on Akoutau Island, just east of Ouualaska-, iu May, 1877, when a native brought one on 
board the vessel ; and we learned from him that it is more or less common wherever open beaches 
are found along these islands, and iu consequence are called " Beach Geese" by the natives. Those 
groups of rocky islets to the south of the Aleutian chain, known as the Shumagin and Sanak 
Islands, and others lying nearer the .south shore of the Aliaska Peninsula form the principal 
wintering ground of this species ; thence to the west along the entire Aleutian chain it occurs, 
but in less numbers than on that portion just mentioned. 

ANAS BOSCAS Liun. 

(121.) The Mallabd Duck. 

On the entire Bering Sea coast of Alaska the common IVIallard is a comparatively rare duck. 
It is most numerous from the northern shore of Norton Sound in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, 
south to the mouth of Kuskocpiim River, but is nowhere abundant. It was not seen by us (hiring 
the cruise of the Corwin, nor is it recorded from the northeastern Siberian coast or the Arctic 
within the region treated in this paper. Elliot mentions a i)air of these birds which reared their 
young on the Saint Paul Island of the fur seal group during the season of 1872, and several others 
were seen later in the season. He also uoted the bird on Saint George's Island, but not as a 
regular visitor, ft is recorded by iMr. Dall as one of the most abuiulant winter visitors anuing the 
ducks at Ounalaska, occurring in considerable numbers by October 12, 1871, and from then until 
the succeeding month of April it was very numerous. It is not known to breed on the Aleutian 
Islands, but only along the coast and i.slands to the northward. 



96 CEUISE OF STEAMEK COJKWIN LS THE AKCTIC OCEAiN. 

DAFILA ACUTA (Linn, i Bonap. 

(122.) Thk Pintail Dick. 

This is perliajis tlie most abundant fresli- water duclc foiiiid on tlie coast of Bering Sea and 
the Arctic sliores to the north. It nests yearly in the greatest abundance all along the coast from 
the peninsula of Alaska to the farthest northern extreme of Alaska in the vicinity of Point 
Barrow, being perliai)s in greatest abundance on the shores of Norton and Kotzebue Sounds. We 
found them numerous about Kotzebue Sound during our several landings there; and several 
were seen on Saint Lawrence Island in Bering Sea during our visits there. Tiiey also occur on 
the north Siberian coast, and, in fact, were noted at almost every place we landed where the 
surrounding country atfords them the proper marshy tracts. Wliile at sea, midway between the 
Aleutian Islands and San Francisco on October l~>, 1881, a bird, which at a distance appeared 
very much like the female of this species, was seen circling about ovcsrhead for ten or fifteen 
minutes, after which it starteil oft' toward the south. Wliether tliis was the i>reseut species or 
not it was of course impossible to say, but from its form and motions it was evidently some species 
of fresh-water duck. In autumn these birds become extrenK^ly fat and well-tlavored, and they are 
the finest table Duck afforded in the north, while their abundance renders them easily obtainable 
and large numbers are secured by the fur traders in autumn and stored for winter use. They 
move south among the latest of the water fowl, the last ones occurring in October, and they return 
again in spring when the open spaces begin to appear in the ice along the shore — .sometimes by 
the first of May, or eveu before iu unusually early seasons. I have seen several of them about one 
of these holes in the ice, caused by ses^eral springs on the shore, wheu the whole country was 
covered with a deep layer of snow and winter still appeared in full force. 

MARECA PENELOPE (Linn.) Selby. 

(123.) The European Widgeon. 

The only record of this species iu Alaska is that given by Elliott, who secured specimens upon 
the seal islands. He tells us that he saw but a few si)ecimens, ami these were apparently solitary 
examples, never iu pairs, and the few he observed during his two years' residence on the fur-seal 
islands were apparently windbound or straggling specimens. This species is also recorded by 
Dall as obtained at Ounalaska on the 12th of October, ISVl, who adds that it is not uncommon 
among the Ducks brought in by the native hunters at that season, and tells us that it migrates 
about the 1st of May. It has not been recorded from any other points or islands on the American 
side of the sea. But the records fpioted render it highly probable that its capture on the main- 
land is a matter of time and further work in that region. In the vicinity of Saint Michael's it must 
be extremely rare, as I carefully examined all the Ducks brought in during my residence at that 
place with the hope of securing some of these birds, but failed. 

MARECA AMERICANA (GmeLj Steph. 

(12-t.) American Widgeon. 

On the Xorton Sound coast of Bering Sea this is a common bird. It is founil breeding along 
the entire Alaskan coast of Bering Sea and north to Kotzebue Sound and the xVrctic cmst beyond. 
It was not noted l)y us upon any of the islands visited iu the vicinity of Bering Strait during the 
summer of 1881, nor on the Siberian shore. But on Sei)tember 6 of that year, when we visited the 
shore at Hotliam Inlet, in Kotzebue Sound, a number were obtained from the natives, who told us 
that they were numerous in that vicinity at the time. They leave for the south a little earlier than 
the Pin-tailed Duck and arrive later in spring. 

SPATULA CLYPEATA (Linn/I Boie. 

(125.) Spoon BILLED Dt^CK. 

Along the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea, mainly limited to that portion between the head of 
Norton Sound and mouth of the Kuskoquim River, this Duck is not uncommon, although it is 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN TUE ARCTIC OCEAX. 97 

iiowbcre iibumlant. la the vicinity of Saint Jliuliael's it arrives in spring about tlie niiddlu oi' 
May with tlic majority of other mijrrating water fowl and nests on the surrounding flats, leavinj;- 
for the South towards the end of September. It has not been recorded from any of the Bering Sea 
islands, nor do I know of its having' been taken on the northeastern shore of Siberia. It is found, 
however, on the Arctic shore of Alaska, north to Kotzebue Sound, if not beyond, and a few indi. 
viduals were observed by us towards the middle of September, 1881, at the head of Eseholtz 
Bay. 

QUERQUEDULA DISCORS (Linn. Steph. 

(126.) Blue-winged Teal. 

During the time of my residence on Noi'ton Sound not a single individual of this bird was 
taken among the many hundreds of ducks secured by the various hunters about the station. It 
occurs, however, very rarely at this place, and is recorded by Dall as being found sparingly at the 
Yukon mouth. Mr. Bannister notes it as not uncommon at Saint Michael's in early spring; but 
there must be some error in this record from the great scarcity of the bird at the same locality 
during the period of my residence there. Captain Smith saw the bird and obtained its eggs from 
near Cape Romanzoff; and this completes our record of this teal within the i-egiou treated in the 
present paper. It is mentioned by Mr. Dall as perhai)s occurring at Ounalaska in winter, but this 
was merely surmised, as no specimens were obtained and the habits of this species are such tiiat 
there is little probability of its occurring there. 

NETTION CAROLINENSIS (Gmel. i Baird. 

(127.) Green-winged Teal. 

This handsome bird is the smallest Duck found in the north, and occurs rather frequently 
along the Alaskan shore of Bering Sea, and ranges north nearly if not ()uite to Point Barrow, 
along the shore of the Arctic. It has been found as a summer resident of the Aleutian Islands as 
far west as Kyska, anil is occasionally at Attou, near the western extreme of the chain. ^Ir. Dall 
tells us that it was upon this species they relied mainly for supplying their table during their 
surveying in the western portion of the Aleutian chain, and he found the young ones abundant at 
Amchitka in July. Further to the north, however, it is less numerous, and although generally 
distributed, and rather common, yet during a day's shooting one would scarcely see more than a 
half dozen or so of this species at most localities. Tliey arrive early in the spring — about the 
middle of May or thereabouts — before the ice and snow have more than partly disappeared. It is 
not known from the Siberian shore, nor from the islands of Bering Sea, except the Aleutian chain, 
although it undoubtedly breeds upon Saint Lawrence Island. A number of these birds were 
bought from the natives of Hotham Inlet in Kotzebue Sound, September 0, 1881, wliere they were 
apiiarently numerous at the time. 

FULIX MARILA (Linn. ) Baird. 

(128.) Scaup Duck. 

This is one of the most abundant Ducks in the north, being found breeding almost every- 
where on the marshy flats and lake-dotted tundra of the mainland, and extending its range to 
such islands as attbrd it suitable feeding grounds. Both this and the smaller species, affinis, are 
recorded by Dall as occurring at the Yukon mouth; but according to the observations I was 
enabled to make at that locality and in the adjoining region, among hundreds of Scaui) Diu'ks 
seen not a single individual could be referred to anything but the common large-billed species, 
and I do not think (iffiiiix readies the sea-siiore of Northern Alaska. Tlie large Scau|i, however, 
as before noted, is extremely numerous and hatches its young on the borders of almost every 
lakelet and pool along the entire coast. It occurs on Saint Lawrence Island and north about 
the shores of Kotzebue Sound, and probably beyond to the extreme north coast of the territory. 
It was not noted by us upon the northeastern shore of Siberia, but undoubtedly occurs there 
during the summer. 

H. Ex. 105 13 



Ub CKUISE OF STEAMEK COKWIN IN TIIK ARCTIC OCIIAN. 

CLANGULA GLAUCIUM AMERICANA iBp.) Ridgw. 

(1LM>.) American Golden evk. 

This i,s a very rare t!])ecios ou the shores of Beriiifj Sea. Tlie only inslaiicc whiMc 1 iiicl wilh 
it alive was late in antmnn near Saint Michael's, where a i)arty of four was seen in a small ihukI, 
three of which were secured. It occurs more commonly along the streams of the interior, hut it 
is rare along the sea shore, and I have no record of its i)resence about Kotzehue Sound, although 
it undoubtedly reaches that [)oint. It is unknown from the islands of Bering Sea and the n()rth- 
eastern shore of Siberia. 

CLANGULA ALBEOLA (Linn.) Steph. 

(1:50.) IIUTTERIJALL DUCK. 

This beautiful little UucU is reported by Mr. Dall as not uncommon :it the Yukon niDUtli. 
where it breeds; but no spe,('iniens of it were noted during my residence at Saint Michael's, nor 
did I see it on my visit to the Yukon month in the sjjring of 1870. Mr. Dall's record is the only one 
attributing this species to the .shore of Uering Sea, and no further records are at hand of its 
occurrence in that region. It is also unknown from the shores of the Arctic coast of Alaska and 
Kotzcbue Sound in addition to the islands and Siberian coast visited by the Corwin. 

HISTRIONICUS MINUTUS (Linn, i Dresser. 

(131.) Harlequin Duck. 

This richly-marked bird is found ou the shores and islands of Deriug Sea, e.vtending into the 
Arctic, but north of the Straits it is much less numerous. On the Aleutian Islands it is an abundant 
species, especially in winter and spring. During May, 1877, at Ounalaska they were extremely 
numerous in large flocks, frequenting the inner harbors, but were too shy to allow close approach. 
Mr. Dall informs us that they remain later than most other Ducks ; and also notes their occurrence 
in summer ou tlic Sliumagin Islands. It breeds along the coast to the north ward from these 
islands; and Elliott records it as being extremely numerous about the fur-seal islands, where 
it occurred close along the beach in flocks of hundreds, keeping closely bunched together, and 
comparatively heedless of approach. This author records his total inability to secure any of the 
eggs of this bird, although they were permanently resident there in summer, and he ottered large 
rewards to the natives. The females appeared to outnumber the males two to one, and he was 
at a loss to account for not securing its nest. The i)robability is that these birds were barren 
females, or young of the preceding year, which for some cause did not pass to their northern 
breeding ground, but remained here, feeding upon the abundant animal life found in these waters. 
It haunts the clear cold streams of the interior which flow down the niountaius and empty into 
the Y^ukon and its tributaries. The bird seeks secluded pools in these waters, and the natives 
when wishing to hunt them jjroceed up a considerable distance on the course of the stream in 
their birch canoes, and then float silently down with the current, gun in hand, and secure the birds 
before they become aware of being approached ; otherwise, if the birds' attention is attracted they 
are said to dive with such rapidity that it is almost an impossibility to secure them; but by 
remaining perfectly quiet in the canoe they are easily approached aiul killed. Around the shore of 
Norton's Sound this duck is not common in spring, occurring very rarely as a migrant, and nesting 
only along the streams flowing into this body of water. When the young are ready to take wing — 
during August, or from the last of July until Sei)tember — they become more and more common 
on the rocky portions of the shore, frequenting the same localities and often joining in flocks of 
the Scoters. I have generally found them thus associated, or sunning themselves ui)ou the 
projecting rocks and reef's at low tide during this season. They arc used by the natives of the 
interior as toys, the bird being skinned, stufl'ed with moss and decorated with beads and bright 
colored threads to serve as dolls for the children, their haiidsomel.\ variegated plumage attracting 
the eyes of the savages. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER OORWIX IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 99 

The. Haileqiiiu is also foiuul along the northeastern shore of Siberia, aud visits all the Bering- 
Sea islands dnring the siuniner. It was not seen by ns, however, in the Arctic dnring the crnise 
of the Coiwin. and if it occnrs there it ninst be as a straggler or very rare snninier visitant. 

HARELDA GLACIALIS (Linn.) Leach. 

(13l'.) Old Squaw Duck. 

Everywhere around the islaud.s of Bering Sea and the niaiidand coast, extending tiirough 
the Straits and along both the Alaskan and Siberian shores to the farthest limit of land, this 
jtecnliar Dnck is found in abundance. It is a noisy bird in spring, with a loud and sonorous note, 
and occurs everywhere on the sea among the drifting ice, or on shore in secluded pools and small 
sluggish sti'eams. It occurs as a resident on the fur-seal islands, aud upon the Aleutian chain. 
It was also seen aboiit Saint Lawrence Island during our visits there in June and July, l.ssi, and 
was common at East Cape, Siberia, as well as along the north coast of this land. It is reported 
as being a common species at Nova Zembla by Nordenskiiild, and a recent letter in the New York 
Ilei-ald from the naturalist of the Jeannette reports them common August 30, ISSl, on Thaddeus 
Island, one of the Liakhov group, as the Jeannette party were making their way to the month of 
the Lena after losing their vessel. Its habits are a strange combination of the salt and fresh 
water Ducks in Alaska, as it appears to frequent inditferently the rocky islands surrounded by 
the sea with an entire lack of fresh water, or is found far up the Yukon, where fresh water alone 
exists. It has a peculiar aud rather musical note, making it one of the most conspicuous birds 
on the ponds and streams of the sea-coast aud marshes about the mouth of the Yukon, where in 
spring its loud cries and lively uuiuners make it a very amusing and interesting bird. It arrives 
in the sea with the first openings in the ice during Aprd each spring, or iu earlier seasons the last 
of March. These ducks are very much emaciated at this date, but gradually regain their Hesh, 
until in May the poiuls open on shore aud allow them to seek their nesting grounds. In the 
autumn th^y remain until the sea freezes over, and thus closes their only means of gaining 
snbsisteuce, after wliich they are forced to dejiart for the South. 

POLYSTICTA STBLLERI (Pall.) Brandt. 

(133.) Steller's Eidee. 

The present species is widely distributed over the coasts of Bering Sea, occurring on both the 
mainlands as -well as about all the islands of this water. It was found merely as a straggler upon 
the fur-seal islands by Elliott, but is extremely numerous on the Aleutian chain in winter where it 
occnrs as a very abundant resident at this season, Joining sometimes in flocks with the King Eider. 
Dall informs us that it pairs early in May and breeds upon the Aleutian chain. The larger 
number, however, pass farther north at this season. During my visit to Ounalaska in May, 1877, 
these birds were found in small numbers scattered over the inner harbors, but were extremely shy, 
and notwithstanding repeated efforts to secure them they invariably took flight long before my 
approach within gunshot. They have been reported as wintering in great 'abundance upon Sanakh 
Island, and as occurring iu large numbers on the north coast of Aliaska Peninsula during the 
summer. North along the coast of Norton Sound they are only known as autumnal visitants. 
Each fall, just before the inner bays freeze over in October, a number of these birds are found 
sometimes in considerable flocks feeding about the tide-rips, and at this season I secured a nnuiber 
of specimens ; but no adults were ever noted at this locality, and I do not know of the bird's occur- 
rence in spring, although it may be taken as a rai'e straggler. It was not noted by us anywhere 
along the coast of Alaska from Saint Michael's north through Bering Strait to Point Barrow; but 
we found a number of them the tii'st of Jnlj^ in the brackish ponds on Saint Lawrence Island, 
where they were evidently breeding, and again on the north coast of Siberia they were excessively 
numerous. Flocks of thousands were found about Cape Wankarem during our stay there the 
first of August, ISSl, and, in company with an equal number of King Eiders and a few of the 
Pacific Eider, were seen passing out and in each evening to aud from the large estuary back of the 
native village. This village was built upon the spit cutting this estuary from the sea at this 



100 (JliUISE OF STEAMP:ii COKWIN IN TllK ARCTIC OCEAN. 

place, and lay directly in the track of tiigbt followed by these Eiders as they passed to or from 
the sea. As these Hocks passed back and fortli the birds were beini; continnally broujiht down 
by the slings thrown into the midst of the passing birds by the natives ; yet, notwithstanding 
this, the birds eontinned from day to day the entire season to pass and repass this place. Their 
heedlessness in this respect may be accounted for from the fact that these people were without 
guns of any kind, and were thus unable to frighten them by the noise of the discharge. The birds 
were easily called from their course of llight, as we repeatedly observed. If a flock should be 
passing a hundred yards or more to one side, the natives would ntter a long, peculiar cry, and 
the flock would turn instantly to one side and sweep by in a circuit, thus artbrding the coveted 
opportunity for bringing down some of their number. These Hocks geucrally contained a mixture 
of about one-twentieth of the number Paeiflc Eiders, aiul the remainder about equally divided of 
Stellers and the King Eiders. At times the entire community of these birds, which made this 
vicinity their haunt, would pass out in a .solid body, and the flock thus formed exceeded in size 
anything of the kind I ever witnessed. 

The first night of our arrival was calm and misty, the water having that peculiar glassy smooth- 
ness seen at such times, and the landscape rendered indistinct at a short distance by a slight misti- 
ness. Soon after we came to anchor before the native ^illagc this body of birds arose from the 
estuary a mile or two beyond the natives' huts, and came streaming out in a flock which appeared 
endless. It was fully three to four miles in length, and considering the species which made np this 
gathering of birds it was enough to make an enthusiastic ornithologist wild with a desire to possess 
some of the beautiful specimens which were seen flling by within gunshot of the vessel. A little 
later in the evening the natives brought oti' a cousiderable number of the birds which they had 
killed with their slings, and during our stay at this place, the following day, we saw large num- 
bers of them killed with these implements, and a few were obtained with our guns. This portion 
of the Siberian coast appears to be the grand summer resort of this Eider, as the Aleutian Islands 
form its wintering ground. One of the remarkable facts in the history of its distribution, however, 
is shown in its total absence on the opposite American coast of the Arctic where the suft-oundings 
appear to be almost identical with those found on the Siberian shore, yet for all the thousands of 
these birds seen on this latter coast not one was noted on the American .shore, although the King 
Eider occurs equally numerous upon both sides of the Arctic. 

LAMPRONETTA FISCHERI Brandt. 

(134.) Spectacled Eidek. 

Along the Alaskan shore of the Bering Sea, from the mouth of the Kusko(pnm River north to 
the head of Norton Sound, the present bird is a rather common and in some places abundant 
summer resident, nesting and rearing its young along the borders of the numerous brackish jvools 
which are found so abundantly in the low marshy laud of this region. It was not seen else- 
where during the cruise of the Corwiii, and it is doubtful if it ever reaches the shores of the 
Arctic Ocean, although it may occur occasionally about Kotzebue Sound. Dall records it as 
occuring rarely at Unalaska, and we learn from him that it is a rather rare and ver^- shy winter 
visitant, migrating early in May to its breeding grounds to the north. The southern limit of its 
winter habitat is unknown, and from the known range of this species at present it appears to be 
one of the uu)st narrowly limited of our sea fowl, even having a narrower territory than is covered 
by the Empenu' (ioo.'^e, which joins with it in a great portion of its range. 

September 1"), 1S81, when we were approaching Saint Jlichael's and about twenty-five miles 
off the outer end of Stewart's Island, in Norton Sound, a large flock of these Eider were seen, 
consisting abnost entirely of males. They were in fall plumage, with the dark areas much more 
extended than in spring, and appearing considerably difterent from the bird as seen then, but 
readily recognizable by the large velvety white patch surrounding the eye. Unlike the common 
Eider of the North, V-niyra, the males do not pass the most of their time at sea duiing the breeding 
season but keep near their mates, frequenting the brackish ponds and tide creeks along the shore 
until the young are hatched. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IX THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 101 

SOMATERIA V-NIGRA Gray. 

(135.) Pacific Eidkr. 

This species of Eider is foiiiid everywhere about the sliores and islands of P.erins: Sea, and 
uests throughont nearly all this range. While at Sanakli Island, near the eastern end of the 
Aleutian chain, the middle of May, 1877, considerable numbers of these birds were found upon 
the outlying reefs and exposed rocks. They were then in decreased numbers, as we were told by the 
residents that tliey visit tliis portion of tiie Territory in greatest abundance during the winter 
season. As is well known, the nesting range of this bird extends from its highest r.ortliern point 
south to the Farallon Islands, ott' San Francisco, and perhai)s still farther to the south. Jlr. Dall 
reports them as wintering almndantly at Ouualaska and breeding in large numbers along the 
western portion of the Aleutian chain during the summer. At Plover Bay, on the Siberian sliore, 
June 36, 1881, a fevVpairs were seen, and again the first of July at East Cape, Siberia. It was 
found .sparingly along the entire northeastern Siberian shoi'e from Plover P)ay around through 
the Straits and nests nearly to Cape North. 

As previously mentioned, it was joined with tlie King Eider and Steller's Duck in the immense 
flocks of these birds which were frequenting the estuary of the river near Cape Wankareni, but 
the present species was very decidedly in the minority. A few of these birds were also found at 
Point Barrow, Alaska, on August IG, 1881, and thence south along the coast they were found 
much less numerous than the King Eider until Kotzebue Sound is reached ; and thence south 
along the coast of Alaska the King Eider is replaced almost entirely during the summer by the 
present species. 

The last of August, 1881, as we left Point Ho])e, Alaska, and were midway between that place 
and Bering Strait, several of these Eiders passed us on their way South, showing that the autumnal 
migration commences very early in tiie season with them. 

This species is said to l>e extremely abundant on the north coast of British America, 
especially Ijetween the mouths of the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers, where it is said to occur 
in greatest numbers. From the western limit of tliat portion of the Arctic bordering the Bering- 
Strait region, west to Spitzbergeu and the North Atlantic, the common eider duck is found 
replacing the Pacific Eider. On Spitzbergeu it nests in colonies, and the Walrus hunters of that 
sea credit the females with stealing eggs from one another. The male bird is said to remain in 
the vicinity and watches while the female sits upon the eggs, giving the alarm at the api>roach of 
any danger. 

SOMATERIA SPECTABILIS (Linn) Boie. 

(136.) The King Eider. 

The King Eider is found in great abundance along the Aleutian Islands during winter, some 
remaining to breed, and thence north in summer along the Siberian coast of Bering Sea and tiie 
northeastern Arctic shore of Siberia. Although so numerous on the Siberian coast in summer, 
yet on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska it is a very rare bird, occurring only as a straggler. 
Among the large number of liiders secured by me during my residence at Saint Michael's not a 
single individual of this bird was obtained, although it was well known to the natives aiul reported 
by them as being seen occasionally while they were seal hunting far ofl' shore. After Bering Strait 
is passed, however, following along the north Alaskan shore in the Arctic to Point P.arrow, the 
King Eider is found to be voi\v abundant, becoming moi-e and more numerous the farther uortli 
we reached, until along tiie stretch of coast between Icy Cape and Point P>arrow we found them 
in large flocks in the summer of 1881. Oti'Cajje Serdze Kamen, Siberia, northwest of the Strait, 
large numbers of these birds were seen on July !•, 1881, and they were again found at various 
points along that coast where we touched. NordenskiiJld reports it as occurring at Spitzbergeu. 
but as being more numerous on the shores of Nova Zemlya. 

August 11, 1881, as the Corwin was making her way towards Wrangel Island, a number of 
these birds were seen sitting u[)on the ice, and remained gazing stupidly at the vessel until she 



102 CRUISE OF STAEMER CORWIN IX TOE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

approached within fifty or sixty yards, wlien tbey sphished off into the water and took wiug. 
Again the next morning-, as we landed at the month of the river on Wrangel Island, a female with 
her yonng swam away from the beach and passed ont of siglit around the adjacent i)oint, thus 
proving conclusively that the bird nests upon this land. 

At Cape Wankarein, Siberia, .Vugust 5, the same summer, the natives brought ott' to us large 
numbers of these birds, which they killed with slings as described under the Steller's Eider. This 
latter species, with tlie Kiug Eider, for/ued the main body of the great Hocks of Eiders which were 
continually passing and repassing during the time of our stay at that place. At Point Barrow, 
Alaska, on August IG, they were also in great abundance, and appeared to have the same habit as 
observed at Wankarem of flying to and from the sea across the low saiuly spit separating the bay 
at the point from the sea. 

GBDEMIA AMERICANA Sw. & Rich. 

(137.). American Scoter. 

Along the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea this species nests in considerable numbers wherever 
the low, marshy character of the coast aftbrds it proper ground. It occurs sparingly upon Saint 
Lawrenc^e Island, and thence north through Beriug Strait to the shores of Kotzebue Sound, in the 
Arctic, aud upon the northeastern coast of Siberia mainly south of Beriug Strait. In the .Vleutiau 
Islands it is a common winter resident, but is not known to breed there. 

MELANETTA FUSCA (Linu.) Boie, 

(138.) Velvet Scoter. 

Like the preceding, this bird is rather numerous along the coast of Norton Sound, but occurs 
mainly in autumn after the breeding season is finished. It is not found nesting so commonly as 
the American Scoter in this region, but probably passes farther to the north. It was seen in the 
vicinity of Kotzebue Sound during the cruise of the Corwin, and across tlu^ Arctic to the Siberian 
shore, where, at Cape Wankarem, on August 7, 1881, a considerable numbur of these birds were 
seen upon the rocks at the points of the cape. Later in the summer, as we steamed south along 
the shore of Siberia from Bering Strait, quite a number of these birds with the last named species 
were seen in the sea off shore. A month earlier in the season none had been seen at this point, 
but these birds were probably those which had nested ou shore at these points and were now 
returning to their usual habits of frequenting the sea. This species is also found at Ounalaska, 
I where Dall obtained specimens in October ; and at the last of May, 1877, they were quite numer 
ous there and I secured several individuals during my stay at that place. 

PELIONETTA PERSPICILLATA (Linn.) Kaup. 

(139.) The Surf Duck. 

This is perhaps the least coiumou of the Scoters ou the shores of Bering Sea, but occurs 
rather conitnonly iu the vicinity of Saint Michael's, Norton Sound, every autumn, and again in 
spring. A number of individuals were seen off the northeast coast of Siberia the last of 
August as we passed out of the Arctic in the Corwin. It was also seen with the preceding- 
species on the rocks at Cape Wankarem the 1st of August, and several times along the American 
shore of the Arctic iu autuiuu. It was not observed by mo, during the breeding season at the 
Yukon month in 1879, nor in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, but as its eggs -were obtained by 
Bischoff in the vicinity of Sitka, it undoubtedly includes the entire coast, thence north, in its 
breeding range. 

MERGUS MERGANSER AMERICANUS (Cass.) Ridgw. 

(UO.) American Sheldrake. » 

Dall records several specimens killed on December 20 at Ounalaska in the outer bay after a 
storm, and states that it cannot be considered as more than an accidental visitor, although it is 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN^ TH15 AliOTlU OCEAN. 103 

reported to be coiniuon in winter at the seal islands. This is probably an error, as Elliott makes 
no corroboration of this. I have not observed this species anywhere along the Alaskan or 
Siberian coasts, and it must be exceedingly rare upon the former coast, as the natives were nnable 
to give me any information concerning it, notwithstanding repeated inipiines made both at the 
Yukon mouth and in the vicinity of Saint Michaers; nor was it observed anywhere at the various 
points we landed, both on the Siberian and the American coasts of Bering Sea and the Arctic 
during the cruise of the Cor win. 

MERGUS SERRATOR Linn. 

(141.) Red-breaster Fish Duck. 

This is the commonest species of sheldrake, occurring upon both shores of Bering Sea. It 
nests upon Saint Lawrence Island and along both the American and Siberian coasts. On the 
former coast it is common, and in many places is an abundant bird. It has also been taken 
upon the Aleutian Islands by Dall, who secured specimens at Arachitka. Along the Alaskan 
coast of the Arctic to Poiut Barrow it is also found iu varying abundance. Although we did not 
observe it on the Siberian coast of the Arctic during the summer of 1881, yet its known distribu- 
tion on the adjoining shores and islands would indicate that it is found there as well. 

LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS (Linn.) Reich. 

(14:2.) Hooded Sheldrake. 

A single large flock of this handsome bird was seen by Mr. Bannister in the vicinity of 
Saint Michael's iu October, 1865, just before the harbor became frozen over. This is the only 
record I possess of the occurrence of this bird in the waters of Bering Sea. It was not seen by 
us during the cruise of the Corwin ou either shore, and as not a single example was observed 
during my residence at Saint Michael's the species is undoubtedly extremely rare on the western 
coast of Alaska. 

GROCULID.E. CORMORANTS. 
PHALACROCORAX VIOLACEUS (Gmel.) Ridgw. 

(143.) Violet-green Cormorant. 

This handsomely colored Cormorant is the commonest of its kind along the Aleutian chain 
and about the .shores of the various islands iu Bering Sea, visiting both shores in addition wherever 
the coast assumes a bold, rocky character, affording the birds suitable nesting places. It is found 
sparingly on the islands in Bering Strait, and thence extends through into the Arctic, being found 
upon both shores there as in Bering Sea. It is not numerous in the vicinity of Saint Michael's 
and the Yukon mouth, mainly owing to the low character of the coast, but towards the head of 
Norton Sound it nests in large numbers upon the bold cliffs fronting the sea in that vicinity. 

At Plover Bay during our visits in June and July, 1881, these birds were very numerous, and 
were noted at various other points along the coast. On June 2t), scattered individuals of a 
species of Cormorant to which I refer this bird were seen in the sea off Cape Serdze Kamen, but 
none were secured. A species of Cormorant, either this or the following, was seen at Herald 
Island, and again one or two individuals near Wrangel Island and on the Auierican shore in the 
vicinity of Cape Beaufort, on July 37 ; but as they were shy at all these localities no specimens 
were secured, and it was impossible to ascertain definitely to which s])ecies they should be referred. 

PHALACROCORAX BICRISTATUS PaU. 

, {Hi.) Red-faced Cormorant. 

Nordenskiold records the capture of several of these birds at Nortii Cape, Siberia, where they 
were nesting upon the Clifis in large numbers at the time of the Vega's visit there on September 



104 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

17, 187!). It \v;i.s, pciiiaps, this spocie.s in platre of tlir N'iok't-ttrt'cn Cormorant wiiidi ^^a.s iioleil 
by ns to the nordi of tliis cajjo al)out Wrangel and llcralil Lslanil.s, as well as at Cape Heanfort on 
the north shore of Alaska and one or two other points along the Arctic shore of this territory. 

This species is well known as a i-esident upon the fur-seal islands, where Elliott found them 
remaining throughout the winter, despite the severity of the storms and cold at various times. 
It serves as a dainty morsel for the resident Aleuts upon these islands during the winter, 
when other kinds of fresh meat are not procurable. According to Elliott it nests some weeks in 
advance of the other water fowl, and builds a large structure upon a jutting slielf along the face 
of the cliffs. These birds have from three to four eggs, and the young como from the shell almost 
without feathers, but grow rapidly under the care of the old birds. He notes the great amount 
of curiosity possessed by these birds at the appearance of any unusual object which approaches 
the vicinity of their nesting ])la(!es or feeding grounds. This appears to hold everywhere. I have 
rarely visited the haunts of Cormorants without their circling around and around, although 
sometimes so shj- as to keep well beyond gunshot. Their curiosity appears to bring them in the 
neighborhood of the objects of their suspicion again and again. We found this bird (piite 
ininierous in the vicinity of Unalaska Island on our arrival there the last of September, 1881. In 
the si)ring of 1877 it was also rather common about the harbors at tliat place. It is a resident 
througiiout the Aleutian Islands, according to Dall. Tliese birds appear to be a fitting accompa- 
niment of the bleak, barren coast found so frequently along the northern shore of Bering Sea. 
The dark clifl's, with scarcely a trace of vegetation, ami the cold rocks, perhaps relieved here and 
there by banks of snow in the ravines, are rendered still more wild and inhospitable iu appearance 
by the presence of these large, awkward somber-colored birds, which circle silently back and forth 
in front of their cliffs, titling habitants of the remote aiul cheerless wilds where their home is made. 

LARIDJ']. GULLS, TERNS. 

PAGOPHILA EBURNEA iPhippsi Kaup. 

(U.J.) The Ivory Gull. 

There is no record of this bird's occui-rence anywhere in Bering Sea, but Noidenskiold found 
this gull quite frecpient during the time of his stay on the northeastern shore of Siberia at Tapkan, 
and noted them at various points around the northern shore of Asia during his voyage through 
that region. It is found quite commonly about Spitzbergen and Nova Zemyla, where it keeps in 
the vicinity of the shore, and in winter is frequently seen standing near tlie seal-holes in the ice 
waiting for the seal to appear, tlu; cause of this being its habit of devouring that animal's excre- 
ment. It is abundant in this region and ott' the high northern latitudes of America, but very few 
of its nests have been found thus far, one by McClintock, at Cai)e Ivrabbe, in North America, in 
latitude 77^ 2'>' north, and again by Malmgren, at Murchinson Bay, iu Spitzbergen, iu latitude 
82° 2' north. The two nests found by Malmgren consisted of a depression from twenty-five to 
twenty-six centimeters in diameter in a heap of loose gravel on a ledge of a sloping limestone wall. 
Each nest contained one egg, which on the 30th of July already contained a down-covered bird. 
Murchinson Bay was covered with ice at the time these nests were observed. On September 4, 
1870, this bird was seen off Herald Island by the naturalist of the Jeannette, and again in the 
middle of June; and in July, 1880, a number of these birds were seen, and at various other times 
during the drift of this ill-fated vessel. In the vicinity of Bennett Island on .luly 20, 1881, they 
were again seen, and were ])robably nesting there. 

There is no North I'acitic coast record of this species, ami it appears to be a winter resident in 
high latitudes, not i)assing south beyond the ice limit, except very rarely, when, as in a few- 
instances, it has been taken along the coast of Maine, in eastern North America, and jterhaps as 
far south as Massachusetts On the west coast of America we possess no such southern records, 
and it is doubtful if it ever passes south of the Aleutian chain, although as yet we do not jiossess 
a record of the bird south of Bering Straits. It is one of the most beautiful of the gidls, and any 
addition to our knowledge of its biography will be a welcome contribution to northern ornithology. 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 105 

RISSA TRIDACTYLA KOTZBUEI (Bp.) Coues. 

(14().) Pacific Kittiwake. 

About the .shores of Beriiiy: Sea everywliere that rocky cliffs or bold islands rise from the 
water this elegiiiit (lull may be tbuud, usually occurring- in the greatest abnndance. During oixr 
visit to a rocky islet in Escholtn Bay, Kotzebue Sound, on September 7, 188 1, the young were 
seeii i)erching u|)on the ledges and jutting points of this precipitous island. Although the approach 
to the nesting places was difficult, yet the young stood gazing stupidly at us as we drew near until, 
though they were able to dy, several were knocked froui their perches with stones before they 
would take wing, and one was caught in uiy hand without its showing the slightest alarm until 
seized. Elliott found them breeding in greatest abundance at the fur-seal islands, and we found 
them about the shores of Saint Lawrence Island tiie last of .June, 1881. On Herald Island they 
were nesting in large numbers, and altliough seen in less abnndance about the shores of Wrangel 
Island, yet they were common there. On May I, 1880, during the drift 'of the Jeaunette, they were 
seen i>y Mr. Newcomb, the uaturalist of this vessel, and were (|uite common from that date on 
during the remainder of the summer. At Bennett Island they were found more numerous than 
elsewhere by the people from this vessel. It is a common bird over all parts of the Arctic, extend- 
ing along both the Alaskan and Siberian shores from Bering Strait. During our cruising iu the 
summer of 1881 I had repeated occasions to notice the graceful motions and powers of Hight 
|)ossessed by this liandsome Gull. Its buoyancy during the worst gales we met was fully equal to 
that ])ossessed by the llodger's Fulmar, with which it frequently as.sociated at these times. These 
birds were continually gliding back and forth in graceful curves, now passing directly into the face 
of the gale, then darting off to one side on a loug circuit, always moving steadily, with only an 
occasional stroke of the wings for long periods if there was a strong wind. The closely-allied form, 
the well-known Kittiwake of the North Atlantic and adjoining portion of the Arctic Ocean, is 
found breeding upon Spitzbergen aiid Nova Zemlya, as well as upon the Preobraschrine Islands 
on the North Siberian shore. It is more common in the very high northern latitudes thau the 
Glaucous Gull, according to Nordenskiold, and occurs far out to sea, where it follows vessels for 
days at a time, circling around the tops of the nuists, sometimes, a(icording to the walrus hunters 
of the seas north of Buroi)e, pecking at the end of the pendant before a storm. This latter habit 
was noticed by us in the Pacific Kittiwake as we approached Wrangel Island during our several 
attempts to land there. One evening it was nearly calm and clear, but the appearance of the sky 
indicated that foul weather was preparing to descend ui)on us, and as we worked in through the 
ice, attemjiting to reach the shore, several young Kitti wakes came off towards us, and circling about 
approiiched close to the pendant flying from the mast-head with their bills almost touching the 
point of this streamer. They moved up and down, following the .sinuous movement of the pendant 
in the most curious manner, apparently trying to satisfy themselves as to the cause ami api)earance 
of this strange phenomenon. The common Kittiwake of the North Atlantic is said to make an 
elaborate nest of moss, mud, and grass, wliich harbors innumerable insects, of which the naturalist 
on board the Vega obtained twelve species from a single nest. The Bering Sea bird Cousliructs a 
nest of moss and sea-weed, or other material in a like manner, but the parasites from this source 
have not been examined. 

RISSA BREVIROSTRIS Brandt. 

(147.) Red-legged Kittiwake. 

The present hand.some species of gull is limited iu the region covered by tiiis paper to the 
Aleutian Islands and to the fur-seal group. It nests in great abnudance about the latter islands, 
where, according to Elliott, it comes by tens of thousands to breed. This author testifies to its 
elegance of coloring and grace of movement; and its handsomely contrasted [)lumage and bright 
red feet certainly render it one of the most attractive of its kind iu these northern waters. The 
la.st of May, 1877, while I was at Ouualaska, the.se birds were quite numerous for two or three days, 
when they all disappeared as suddenly as they had come, and passed north to their breeding 
H. Ex. 106 14 



106 CRUISE OF STEAMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

ground about the seal islands. This gull is also found north at Saint Matthew Island, but there is no 
record of its occurrence beyond this. No examples liave been obtained either upon Saint Lawrence 
Island or the adjacent American and Asiatic shores of Bering Sea. It is, however, recorded 
from tlie Kauitchatkan coast, and undoubtedly occurs about the shores of Okhotsk Sea, north of 
wliich it is doubtful if it is ever found. 

LARUS GLAUC0S Brunn. 

(US.) The Glaucus Gttll. 

TIlis is one of the most widely spread aud common Gulls of Bering Sea and the adjoining 
coast of the Arctic. It is largely outnumbered, however, by the Kittiwake Gull, which has a nearly 
similar distribution. At the fur-seal islands Elliott records this large tine bird as restricted in its 
breeding ground to Walrus Islet, althougli it frequents the larger islands throughout the season, 
and feeds ujion the carcasses of the seals left on the killing giound. It was numerous, and 
preparing to nest about the bold headlands and clifi's at Ounalaska, towards the end of May and 
first of June in 1877. During my residence at Saint Michael's it was found as an abundant 
species, arriving with the first open water in spring, and only retiring when the sea was closed by 
ice in autumn. During the cruise of the Corwin, the summer of 1881, it was found at nearly 
every point visited, among which may be named Kotzebue Sound, Cape Lisburue, Herald Island, 
the northern shore of Siberia, Bering Strait, and Plover Bay, in nearly all of which places it was 
in abundance, or at least a common bird. Its loud, harsh notes and large size render it one of the 
most conspicuous birds of the North. The chosen surroundings of this Gull in Bering Sea, where 
it breeds on all the islands and shores, would scarcely necessitate the well-known nauje of ice gull, 
which tliis bird has earned on the North Atlantic coast and adjoining Arctic Sea, where it is so 
well known as the accompaniment of the ice pack of that region. Here, however, it is content to 
remain fartlier south, breeding even south to where the fragments of ice rarely, if ever, find their 
way, and from some time in June until the commencement of winter no ice is seen anywhere south 
of Bering Strait. We learn from Nordenskiold that it breeds upon Bear Island, Spitzbergen, and 
Nova Zendya, as well as upon the new Siberian Islands, which, with its known range in the 
North Atlantic, shows that the bird seeks a home indili'erently either in the high north, where the 
ever present ice-pack covers the sea, or south, where a milder climate and less grim surroundings 
are found, as about the shores of Bering Sea. The Burgomaster, as this bird is sometimes termed, 
in its North Atlantic range was found nesting upon Herald and Wrangel Islands during our visits 
there, and it would be diflicult for one to visit any part of the Arctic shores around the entire 
circumpolar region and not meet this gull. It is bold and voracious among its kind, and ruth- 
lessly robs the breeding waterfowl of their eggs or young, which it greedily devours whenever 
opportunity affords. 

IiARUS LEUCOPTERUS Faber. 

(149.) Glaucus Winced Gull. 

This species was found with the preceding, and perhaps outnumbering the Glaucus Gull 
upon the Aleutian Islands, in the spring of 1877. They were extremely abundant about the 
various headhuids there, and were afterwards found to the north at Saint Miclmel's and in Bering 
Strait. Their distribution covers all the shores of Bering Sea, main-land and islands, and extends 
through the Straits along both coasts of the Arctic; but they are less common north of the Straits 
than to the south. At Plover Bay they were quite numerous on June L'G, 1881. During the 
explorations of the Western Union Telegraph Company specimens were secured at Sitka and 
others at Kodiak; and the bird is found along the entire west coast of America from California 
north, being of common occurreiu;e along the entire sea-coast of Alaska and the various islands of 
Bering Sea, besides on the Siberian coast. It was found on the shore of the Arctic north to Cape 
Lisburne and Icy Cape, on the American side, and to Cape Serdze Kamen and the vicinity of 
Herald Island on the Siberian side. None were seen at Point Barrow, although they undoubtedly 
occur there. Its habits are almost identical with those of the Glaucus Gull, but it may usually 
be distinguished when in company with the latter by its smaller size. 



OEUISE OF STEAMER COR WIN IN THE AECTIO OCEAN. 107 

LARUS MARINUS (Linn.) 

(150.) Great Black-backed Gull. 

Although the present species h<as been recorded from the coast of Japan, there was uo record 
of its occurrence in Bering Sea or the adjoining i)ortion of the Arctic until during the sumnrer of 
1880. During this season Captain C. L. Hooper, of the Corwiu, secured a specimen at the Greater 
Diomede Island, in Bering Strait, and the same season Dr. T. H. Beau, of the National Museum, 
obtained a young bird at Chernooskie, on Ounalaska Island, making the only two records of this 
bird's capture in Alaska, although Dr. Bean afterwards found it at Port Clarence, ou the Alaskau 
shore of Bering Strait, and saw numerous other specimens during his summer cruise. 

It is a little strange that this conspicuous and well-marked bird should have escaped attention 
80 long in this part of its range, but it must be somewhat localized in its distribution here, since 
during my residence at Saint Michael's I kept a continual lookout for rare species of Gulls, and 
among the large numbers of these birds obtained and examined not a single individual could be 
referred to this species. 

LARUS APPINUS Reinh. 

(151.) The Siheeian Gull. 

During the various visits made to the northwest Siberian coast by the Corwin in the season 
of 1881 these birds were found to be numerous at Plover Bay, and thence around the shore 
through Bering Straits along the coast to the northwest, the last ones being seen in the vicinity 
of Cape Serdze Kamen and Wankeram, just west of Kolincliin Ba3'. At all these places the bird 
was common, and was quite frequently seen some miles oft' shore as we were passing along this 
coast. It was not observed, however, on the American shore, where it is almost certain to occur, 
although there is no definite record of its presence there up to date. On .June 26, 1881, these gulls 
were preparing to breed about the headlands of Plover Bay, and ou the 29th of this same month 
were found to be abundant oti' Cape Serdze Kamen, where they were evidently nesting or about 
to prepare for this duty. 

LARUS CACHINNANS Pall. 

(152.) The Siberian Herring Gull. 

This Gull is occasionally observed about the Yukon mouth and about the entire coast of the 
territory, although it is among the rarest of the laridiB to occur on the shore of Norton Sound, 
It is not known from the islands of Bering Sea, where it undoubtedly occurs. The record given 
of Larus argentatux by Mr. Dall in his paper on the birds of Alaska refers to this bird. He 
records it as plentiful at Plover Bay, and it is a common species ah)ng this coast. Just what its 
range is to the north of Bering Straits I have uo data upon which to base an opinion. 

LARUS CACHINNANS Pall. 

(153.) Pallas's Herring Gull. 

Although this species is recorded from the northeast coast of Siberia, by Pallas, it was not 
observed during the cruise of tlie Corwin, but might easily have been overlooked from the 
cursory manner of our survey there. The close similarity of the two shores of Bering Sea render 
it extremely probable that any species of gull found in the vicinity of Bering Strait ou either 
• shore is almost certain to be taken sooner or later upon the opposite coast. 

LARUS BRACHYRHYNCHUS Rich. 

(154.) Shoet-billed Gull. 

The present species of Gull is extremely abundant along the eastern coast of Bering Sea, from 
the head of Norton Sound to the Peninsula of Aliaska. It was not observed on any of the Bering 



108 (UlUISE OF STEAMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

Sea islands or the Silx-riau sliore (liiriiig tlie cruise of the Corwin, nor was it seen north of Beriiiff 
Strait, altliongii specimens were ln-ought me from tlie KotzeV)iie Sound region during my residence 
at Saint Michael's. It is very numerous along the course of the Yukon and other rivers in the 
interior of Alaska, and breeds throughout the range given. 

LARUS PHILADELPHIiE lOrd.i Gray. 

(155.) Bonaparte's Gull. 

This is a M r.\ ran- bird along the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea, being found tliere during the 
migrations merely as a straggler front its breeding grounds in the interior. There is no record of 
either this or the jtreceding species from any of the Bering Sea islands, but the latter is far less 
numerous and widely sjjread on the shores of this sea than the former. 1 found Bonaparte's Gull 
numerous only in one instance in the vicinity of Saint iMichaePs. This was towards the end of 
September, 1880, \vhen for a few days they were abundant along the canal which sei)arates Saint 
Michael's Island from the mainland. There is no record of its presence along the shore of rhe 
Arctic, although it may jiossibly occur at the head of Kotzebue Sound. 

RHODOST£THIA ROSEA (Macgill.) Bruch. 

(150.) RossE's Gull. 

During my residence at Saint .Michael's I secured a single specimen of this bird. It was a 
young of the jear, and although it was taken the first of October, yel it still retained, nearly 
complete, its imperfect mottled ])lumage. This was the first specimen of this rare and beautiful 
bird taken in the region about Bering Strait. Since this cajjture, however, we have still further 
knowledge of this bii'd's distribution. Xordenskiokl obtained a beautiful adult specimen which 
was shot from the vessel while frozen in on the Siberian shore near Bering Strait on July 1, 1879> 
and the naturalist of the Jeanuette, Jlr. Newcomb, writes in a recently i)ublishe(l letter to the 
New York Herald that " In the middle of October, 1879, a pair of these birds came along the lead 
where I was sitting, and when within range I fired, tumbling one down into the water; the other 
turned and 1 got it. They proved to be Rosse's Gulls {Rliodo-stethia roxea), an exceedingly rare 
species, very buoyant and graceful on the wing; beautiful pearly-blue on the back, vermilion feet 
and legs, and lovely tea-rose on the breast aud underpart, the rosy tint being scarcely a color; 
then blending m exquisite harmony with the pearly-blue of the upi)er i>arts. They were in fall 
feather. I afterwards got three more in adult and immature plumage." 

While the Jeanuette party were ou their way toward the Siberian coast, after the loss of their 
vessel, a number of these Gulls were see", but were not obtained. Eight sp(!cimens of this 
beautiful bird were secured l)y Mr. Newcomb during the drift of the Jeanuette, but during the 
retreat of this party toward the coast all but three sjiecimens iu the most interesting states of 
])lumage were abandoned, with many other results of their long captivity in the ice. These thiee 
siiecimens are now ju'eserved iu the Smithsonian collection, and with the one obtained by me at 
Saint Michael's form a series of four birds the only ones at i)reseut in any American collection, 
and representing each a different state of plumage. The richness of the rosy tint on the breast 
is incom])ar;ible with that on any other gull which 1 lune ever seen. One of the specimens 
brought by Mr. Newcomb still retains the (lolor, and is of an extremely rich peach-blossom i)ink, 
much richer even in this faded condition thau is usual in life upon gulls which are ornamenteil 
with this rosy suffusion during the breeding season. It is to be hoped that some of the several 
American expeditions now in the north may secure other specimens of this interesting and lovely 
Gull, .which is the most beautiful of its kind, and add still more to its history. And now that the 
range of the bird is known to extend around the entire circumpolar regions, the next point to 
ascertain will be its breeding- ground, and peculiar habits duriug the nesting season. Notes upon 
its habits are particularly desirable, as thus far the naturalists who have obtained specimens of 
this variety have only recorded the facts of their capture. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 109 



XEMA SABINEl (J. Sabine) Leach. 

(157.) Sabine's Gull. 

From the Peninsula of Alia.ska, north, along the Alaskan .shore to Kotzebiic Sonnd. tliis i.s a 
very common Gull. It is especially numerous duriu"- the breeding season on the low marshy coast 
between the Yukon mouth and Saint Michael's, where it breeds. It is common, however, at 
various other [)oints along the American coast, and across to Saint Lawrence Island and the 
Siberian shore of Bering Sea. whence speciaiens have been secured by various parties visiting 
that coast. It was seen at Saint Lawrence Bay by the naturalist of the Jeannette on August 29, 
187!) ; and when we neared Wrangel Island the 1st of August, 1881, two young gulls about the 
size of this bird came off and kept about the vessel for some time. Th^- were in dark, mottled, 
immature plumage, and kept at such a distance that it was iiupossible to be i)ositive of the species. 
From the frequent occurrence of Rosse's Gull to the north of this land, as noted by the naturalist 
of the Jeannette, and the fact that no adult Sabine's Gulls were seen either along the 
adjoining shore of Siberisi or in this vicinity, the chances are that these two young birds were 
Rosse's Gulls; but at the time I identified them as being the young of Sabine's Gull, as their size 
and the general appearance of their coloration as seen at a distance indicated. It was not noted 
by us during the cruise of the Corwin anywhere around the shore of the Arctic, unless the two 
immature birds seen off Wrangel Island belong to this si>ecies. 

STERNA OASPIA Pall. 

(1.58.) CASi'tAN Tern. 

This large Teru is extremely rare in the north. It was only observed by me at the Yukon 
mouth on two occasions, both times escaping without injury in spite of uiy attempts to secure 
it. The natives were well acquainted with the bird, however, but alw lys insisted that it was 
very uncommon. They have a name for the common Arctic Tern which they also apply to this 
large species with the termiuation "puk," uu^aning great or large, showing that there is little 
doubt as to the bird's correct identificatiou. There is no record of its occurrence to the north of 
Saint Michael's, which is the most northern point whence I have any information of its occurring; 
nor is it known from the islands of Bering Sea or the Siberian shore. 

STERNA MACRURA Naum. 

(159.) The Akcxic Tern. 

Along both shores of Bering Sea and upon both .shores of the adjoining Arctic waters this 
bird is very common. It was noted in the vicinity of Point Barrow during our visit there in 
August, 1881, and along all of the north Siberian coast visited, and is a well-known resident of the 
Bering Sea shores. It nests wherever found in this region, and occurs indifferently either in the 
interior along the courses of the rivers, or on the salt mai'shes and barren islands on the sea coast. 
This is one of the circumpolar species, which is familiar to all voyagers in these northern regions. 
It nests on some of the sterile islands of the North, in Hocks, upon the bare sandy or pebbly ground, - 
with no trace of any artificial nest. It is common ui)on Spitzbergen but scarce on Nova Zemlya, 
and was noted in the vicinity of the New Siberian Islands by Nordenskiold. On the eastern shore 
of Bering Sea I have only found it nesting singly, in pairs scattered here and there over the 
marshes, and in one insLauce three pairs were fouud occupying the same small island in a lake, 
which is the largest number 1 fouud nesting in close proximity. In this, however, as in many 
other instances, the birds' habits vary greatly with the locality. 

STERNA ALEUTICA Baird. 

(IGO,) The Alkutian Tern. 

This handsome Alaskan Tern has an extremely limited distribution, being found from Kodiak 
Island north to Bering Strait on the American mainland shore, and occasionally crossing to the 



110 CRUISE OP STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

Siberian coast. A.s noted by the iiatuialist of tlie Jeaniiette, wlio saw several of these birds at 
Saint Lawrence Bay the hist of August, 1879, it is very irregular in its distribution, as the coast 
for a hundred miles may not have a single pair, and again they may occur in the greatest abun- 
dance. Rather low rocky islets appear to be their choice for breeding places, as sIjowu by their 
habits in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, where they nest among the low vegetation covering the 
rocks, making no artiticial nest, or but a slight attempt at one, usually depositing their eggs in a 
slight hollow made in the dead grasses and moss. The nests were difficult to find from the close 
resemblance of the eggs to the ground ajion which they are placed. The birds hover overhead 
when disturbed, but become very shy after a little persecution in the way of shooting, so that 
although I made repeated eltbrts to secure a considerable number of specimens I was able to get 
but ciunparatively few. Tliey are far more suspicions than the Arctic; Tern, which abound in the 
same localities and may*l)e killed by iiundreds if desired. 

STERCORARIUS POMATORHINUS (Temm.) Vieill. 

(IGl.) roiiARXNE Jaeger. 

During the summer season these birds are found breeding around the northern coast of Bering 
Sea from the vicinity of the mouth of Kuskotpiim River to Bering Strait, and among the northern 
islands of this sea, and along tlie Siberian sliore. They extend their range at this time through 
the Straits, and are found scattered over the entire part of the Arctic navigable for vessels, breeding 
upon both shores. During this season tliey reach south to the Aleutian chaiu, and it is possible 
that some remain there to breed; but as these birds have a northerly distribution in summer the 
probabilities are agaiust the supposition. A few were seeu at Plover Bay and then scatteringly 
throughout the Arctic, generally near shore, during the cruise of the Oorwin. They were more 
numerous on the Asiatic coast than on the American side, except when we reached the vicinity 
of Point Barrow, wliere a considerable number of these birds were seeu among the drift ice. 
On June 29 thej' were very numerous off Cape Serdze Kainen, on the Siberian shore. About 
Nova Zemlya, Nordenstiold informs us, this species is ranch less numerous than the parasitic 
Jaeger; but like this latter species the present bird has a circumpolar distribution. As we 
approached Herald and Wrangel Islands on our various visits to that vicinity these Gulls were 
seen at times, and were very numerous near Herald Island the day we made our landing there, 
July 30. 

STERCORARIUS CREPIDATUS (Banks) Vieill. 

(162.) Richardson's Jaeger. 

On the coast of Bering Sea, having there almost precisely the same range as the large 
Jaeger Just meutioned, this bird is found in about equal numbers. It is confined to the vicinity 
of the shore more closely than the large species, and during the breeding seasou, at least, prefers 
the bra(!kish pools and uuirshy laud along the low portions of the coast, such as that from the 
Yukon mouth north along the shore of Norton Sound. It was seen at nearly all the points visited 
by us both in Bering Sea and the adjoining portions of the Arctic. As we passed north to the 
vicinity of the ice it became much rarer or was entirely absent; none were seen in the vicinity of 
Wrangel or Herald Islands, nor were any noted north of Icy Cape on the Alaskan shore, although 
they probably reach Point Barrow at times. This bird is said to breed on Spitzbergeu and 
Nova Zemlya, where it lays two eggs upon the bare ground on low, unsheltered, and often wet 
islets or headlands. It is very greedy, aud in its haste will frequently swallow so much as to be 
sometimes unable to fly until it has disgorged. 

According to NordenskiiJld, when it is disturbed in the vicinity of its nests it creeps along 
the ground with odd motions aud liapping wings to draw attention from its eggs. This same 
habit is possessed by the birds on the Alaskan shore, as I have frequently observed during the 
breeding season. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IIT THE ARCTIC OCEAN. Ill 

STBRCORARIUS PARASITICUS (Liun.) Saunders. 
(163.) LONU-T AILED JaEGER. 

The present species is tlie most elegant of tlie Jaeg^ers in its general makeup, and especially 
when on the wing. At this time the bird shows all the grace and ease of movement which 
characterize such birds as the Swallow-tailed Kite and otiier species with very long wings and 
slender bodies. It appears to delight in exhibiting its agility, and two or more frequently perform 
strange gyrations and evolutions during their fliglit as they pass back and forth over the low, Hat 
country which they frequent. It is like the parasitic Jaeger, found more i)lentifully along the 
low portions of the coast than at sea, and is very numerous along the coast of Norton Sound. 
It was noted but a few times by us during the cruise of the Corwin north of Bering Strait, but 
was seen at Saint Lawrence Island and various other i)laces visited along the shores of this sea, 
especially on the American side. Toward Si)itzbergen these birds are said to be rare and to 
increase in numbers toward Bering Strait. It is one of the species noted during the drift of the 
Jeannette in the ice to the north of Wrangel Island, but was very rare. 

PROCELLARID^. PETRELS, ALBATROSSES. 
DIOMEDEA NIGRIPES Aud 

(163 «.) Black-footed Albatross. 

The " gony," as this bird is called on the North Pacific, is an abundant bird over this entire 
stretch of the ocean. It takes company with a vessel on its leaving San Francisco, and follows it 
to the neighborhood of the Aleutian Islands where it disappears; and, as we noted, in October, 
1881, soon after we left Ounalaska these birds api)eared and were with us continually in pleasant 
or gtormy weather until we approached Sail Francisco. The majority seen were young, the light- 
colored birds being observed only at intervals. Nearly all are dark smoky-brown, but here and 
there may be seen one with a ring of white feathers around the run^p, at the base of the tail ; and 
all have a marked line of white surrounding the base of the liill. Those with the white on the tail 
almost invariably have a white spot under each eye. The graceful evolutions of these birds attbrd 
one of the most pleasing sights during a voyage across the North Pacidc, and they are a source of 
continual interest during the otherwise monotonous passage. 

DIOMEDEA BRACHYURA Lemm. 

(164.) Short-tailed Albatross. 

On July 11, 1881, at Cape Rome, Alaska, Just south of Bering Strait, was seen a young 
Albatross of this species in the dark plumage. It had a bright yellow bill, with a bright ring 
around the base, evidently produced by the white feathers surrounding the base of the beak. 
Later in the season adults of this species were seen between Saint Lawrence Island and Plover 
Bay, Siberia; and the mandibles of two specimens were obtained in the mined villages on Saint 
Lawrence Island. As we passed the Uiomede Islands, in the middle of Bei'ing Strait, in July, a 
young Short tailed Albatross was observed circling back and forth over the rising sea, which was 
being covered with foam by the gale which was rising at that time. 

These records are the most northern which we possess of this bird, and extend its range, as 
noted, to the middle of Bering Strait; and we can infer from this that the bird occasionally 
wanders into the Arctic Ocean. To the south among the Aleutian Islaiuls, reaching the vicinity 
of the seal islands occasionally, this bird is very abiiudant, in some instances fifteen or twenty 
being in view at one time while a vessel is sailing through some of the i)asses. In May, 1877, 
many of these birds were seen by me while passing from Ounalaska Island east to Sanakh, and 
again upon the return trip. They rarely approached the vessel, however, and it was impossible to 
secure one of them. 



112 OEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIX IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

FULMORUSGLACIALIS RODGERSI Cass.) Coues. 

(165.) Rodger's Fulmar. 

Tliis is ail extrijiuely abiiiiilaut bird ovev all tlie deepwati'.r portions of Ueriiijj Sea, cxtei'iiliiiji 
into the Arctic Ocean to the vicinity of the ice pack. It rarely visits the eastern shore of the sea, 
however, from tlie moutli of tlie Kuskoquini north to tiie heart of Norton Sound, the shallow and 
muddy character of the water here apparently not being suitable for the presence of food upon 
which this bird exists. On the western shore of the sea in the vicinity of Plover Bay and Saint 
Lawrence Island, tlience north throngii Bering Strait, the bird was found in the greatest abundance 
(luring the visit of the Corwin to that region. It was also abundant north i)eyond the Straits 
along the Siberian shore. The shallow character of the water ob the American coast north of the 
Straits had the same effect in not presenting suitable foraging ground for these wide-ranging 
birds. 

Xordenskiold tells us that the common Fulmar, which is flic North Atlantic representative of 
the bird under consideration at present, is much more common on Bear Island and Spitzbergeu 
than it is upon Nova Zenilya. It breeds abundantly on Bear Island on some of tlie sloping clift's 
not diflicult of access. One (;a.se is mentioned where on May 2(5, l<S7(i, the eggs were seen deposited 
directly upon the bare ice which covered the rocks at the time. In one place a bird was found 
frozen fast by one leg as it sat upon the eggs, in August, 1.5it(i, as re<'.orded by one of the old Dutch 
expeditions which touche<I that coast. On the northern part of Nova Zeinlya, Barents found some 
Fulmars nesting upon a piece of ice covered with a little earth. In both of these cases the 
underpart of the egg during hatching could not be warmed above the tVeezing point. 

During the crui.se of the Corwin in Bering Sea and the Arctic, it was ob.served that on some 
days Rydgeis Fulmars would be seen in large numbers; and again in jtassing over the same 
area not a .single individual would be noticed. These birds breed on the precii>itous islands of 
Bering Sea, and I am inclined to think some nest upon Herald Island in the Arctic Ocean. 
Although in our hasty visit to that island none were seen, yet the clift's on the side opposite our 
landing were eminently suitable for nesting places .such as these birds delight to choose, and the 
abundance of tlie bird up to within a comparatively short distancie of this land, rendered the 
supposition probable. Elliot found them breeding in greatest abundance upon the fur-seal islands, 
where he secured their eggs. 

As we ai)proaclied the harbor of Oiinalaska on Se[ttember 22, 1.S81, hundreds of these birds 
were seen in the ordinary light-colored plumage, which were in company with abont an equal 
number of birds either of the same species or a closely related one of exactly the same size, 
• which were clad in a sooty-brown or blackish -brown plumage. Both birds were sitting in the 
water in immense flocks, covering acres, and as we steamed among them they ajipeared totally 
unable to rise, the vessel almost running down numerous individuals as they flapped clumsily 
along the surface of the water trying to rise: the perfectly calm sea at the time apparently 
rendered the birds almost helpless. 

Mr. Ridgway suggests that the dark-colored birds seen at tiiat time were the Slender-billed 
Fulmar, which may be the case, but if so it shows that these birds exist in large numbers in 
the North, altiiough they have not been secured by the numerous naturalists who have visited 
that region. A number of these dark birds were also seen north of Bering Strait on two 
occasions, and should iindoubteilly be referred to the same species as those seen in the vicinity 
ot Ounalaska, of which unfortunately no specimens were secured. 

PRIOCELLA TENUIROSTRIS (Aud. ) Ridgw. 

(IGG.) Slender-billed Fxtlmar. 

There is but a single record of this bird's capture on the coast of Alaska. This was at 
Kotzebue Sound, whence Mr. Dall secured a single skin during his explorations in the Territory. 
Several times during our cruising in the Arctic in the summer of 1881, a dark-colorerl Fulmar 
was seen in company with the common species and of about the same size. This may perhaps be 



CKUISE OF STEAMEli COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 113 

the Slender-billed si)ecies, although it was iin])ossible to identify them positively, since no 
specimens were secured. 

As we approached Ouualaska in September, large numbers of darkplumaged Fr.lniars were 
also seen in company with the common si)ecies {rodgcrsi), but then, as before, it was impossible to 
secure specimens. The intensity of the dark coloring in many of these specimens seemed to 
preclude the idea of their being referable to Rodger's Fulmar, and it is to be hoped that any 
naturalist visiting the Territory hereafter may pay especial attention to securing some of these 
birds, and thus settle the iroint; for if these dark-colored Irirds were the slender-billed species 
it must be a very common bird, notwithstanding its having escaped the notice of every naturalist 
who has visiteil the Territory within the last ten or fifteen years. 

CYMOCHOREA LEUCORRHOA (Vieill) Coues. 

(167.) Leache's Petrel, 

These birds are very numerous in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands, but are soon lost sight 
of when these ishinds are left in passing to the north. South from these islands they occur over 
the entire Pacific, from the Aleutian chain to San Francisco. They are yet unknown, even north 
to the fur-seal islands, although they undoubtedly reach that group occasionally. 

CYMOCHOREA MBL^NA (Bp.) Coues. 

(1G8.) The Black Petrel. ? 

As we left the Aleutian Islands on our way to San Francisco in October, and tlieuce on for 
several hundred miles, a large Black Petrel was repeatedly seen. The size of this bird would 
indicate that it was the species mentioned above, although no specimens were secured. It was 
repeatedly seen in company with Leache's Petrel and the Forked-tailed species, and excellent 
opportunities were aftbrded forjudging of its relative size. 

OCEANODROMA FURCATA (Gmel.) gp. 

(I(j9.) Forked-tailed Petrel. 

This elegant Petrel is found over all Bering Sea, reaching Saint Michael's, and about the 
head of Norton's Sound, as well as Bering Strait. It was found nesting on some islets in the 
middle of Unimak Pass, near Ounalaska, by Mr. Dall, and is numerous along the entire Aleutian 
chain. To the north the bird is less and less abundant the farther one goes, and periiaps never 
penetrates to the Arctic side of Bering Strait. Several specimens were secured in the vicinity of 
Saint Michael's during my residence there, and they are well known to the natives, wlio tind them 
while they are seal huliting, far otf shore, the birds rarely coming close (o the coast. These are 
anjong the most beautiful of the Petrels. The delicate shade of the entire plumage and the bird's 
gracelul motions are marked even among this group of birds, proverbial for their grace and 
elegance upon the wing. 

PREGETTA GRALLARIA (Vieill.) Bp. 

(170.) White-bellied Petrel. 

From the time we left the Aleutian Islands in October, until we were eight or nine hundred 
milts distant to the south, scarcely a day passed but a Petrel with the belly white, and answering 
closely in all its markings to the description given of this bird, was seen circling about. They 
were frequently quite close to the vessel, and were carefully examined with glasses, and the 
peculiar markings were such as to distinguish them from the other Petrels almost as far as they 
could be seen. They were in company with other Petrels and appeared less numerous than any 
of the other species. 

H. Ex. 105 15 



114 CRUISE OF STEAMER OORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OOEAN. 

PODICIPLD^. GREBES. 
PODICEPS POLBOLLI Reinb. 

(171.) Ameeican Red-necked Grebe. 

These Grebes are quite numerous, occurriug along the entire American coast of Bering Sea, 
and breeding txom the Peninsula of Aliaska to the vicinity of the Straits. They are most 
numerous, however, in autumn, when they are found frequenting the sea; and some years from 
ten to a dozen specimens may be secured, while in others but one or two will be seen. It is 
unknown from the islands and the Asiatic shore of this sea, and the only portion of the Arctic 
coast of which I have proof of its occurrence is in Kotzebue Sound, where it also nests in summer. 

DYTESAURITUS (Linn.) Ridgw. 

(172.) Horned Grebe. 

Like the preceding, this bird is found all along the maiulaud shore of this sea, where, however, 

it breeds very sparingly, being mainly an inland species. It is found quite frequently in the 

interior, where it nests and visits the sea-coast during the autumnal migration. It is also found 

on the shore of Kotzebue Sound, but is not known from the islands of this sea nor the Asiatic coast. 

COLYMBIDJE. LOONS. 
COLYMBUS TORQTJATUS Briinn. 

(173.) The Loon. 

This bird is found along the Bering Sea coast, on both sides, and also upon the shore of the 
Arctic, breeding wherever found. It is not abundant in this region, neither is it rare. There is 
no record of its occurrence u[)Oii any of the islands of this sea, although, as noted, it occurs on 
both shores. 

COLYMBUS ADAMSI Gray. 

(174.) Great White-billed Loon. 

This bird, the largest of the Loons, has a circumpolar distribution, although it is not known 
to occur in abundance at any locality. It is found breeding about Kotzebue Sound, whence the 
natives brought me several specimens, and reported the bird to be rather common there in summer. 
I secured a young bird at Saint Michael's in autumn, and it is known to occur ou the Asiatic 
shore. There is no record of its presence about the Bering Sea Islands, but, like the other si^ecies 
of Loons, it undoubtedly visits these islands, during the migrations at least. The diSiculty of 
studying the birds which frequent the sea about these storm-beaten islands is apparent, and 
accounts for the little progress which can be made in determining th« full number of species 
which are found in their vicinity. 

COLYMBUS ARCTICUS Linn. 

(175.) Black-throated Loon. 

This bird is found everywhere along the shore of Bering Sea on the American coast, and is 
very abundant, nesting along the shore from the Peninsula of Aliaska north to Kotzebue Sound. 
It was also seen in Bering Strait the first of July, and noted on several occasions along the 
Asiatic shore, where it also breeds. It has not been recorded from the islands of this sea, although 
undoubtedly occurring there in the migrations. 

COLYMBUS PACIFICUS Lawr. 

(176.) Pacific Diter, 

This bird is very rare on the coast of Bering Sea. Among the large number of Black-throated 
Loons secured by me, only one proves to belong to this bird, and the same proportion is found to 
hold good with other collections which have been brought from that country. This specimen was 



ORinSE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 115 

taken at Saint Michael's. The predominanee of arcHcus probably holds good for all the Bering 
Sea localities. 

COLYMBUS SEPLENTRIONALIS Linn. 

(177.) Eed-theoated Diver. 

This bird is present in abont equal numbers with the black-throated species, and is extremely 
familiar, its loud note and peculiar liabits, like that of the other Loous, rendering it well known 
to any one who becomes familiar with the marshes of the North. It uests abundantly all along 
the coast from the Peninsula of Aliaska to Kotzebuc Sound, extending across the sea to the 
Siberian shore, but is not known from the islands of this sea, although it undoubtedly occurs 
there. 

ALCIDJE. AUKS. 
FRATERCULA CORNICULAIiA (Haum.) Gray. 

(17S.) HoENED Puffin. 

This is one of the most common birds found in Bering Sea. It nests abundantly all along the 
Aleutian chain and upon all the rocky islets of this sea, as well as almost every rocky cape which 
projects along the coast line. It was seen by us in small numbers oft' Cape Serdze Kamen on 
June 29, 18S1, and a few were noted at East Cape the first of July. At Herald Island a single 
specimen was seen, and in the vicinity of Cape Thompson and Cape Lisburne, on ihe American 
sliore, a few were seen, but they were not abundant. Puftin Island, a small I'ocky islet in 
Escholtz Bay, Kotzebue Sound, is literally alive with these birds, which coA^er the rocks as 
they perch along the slope of the rocky shore. While visiting this islet a bird was seen coming in 
from the sea, carrying four sticklebacks in its mouth. The fish were placed crosswise in the bill, 
and the bird looked very odd as it came swiftly along with the fish so held. It flew directly to a 
crevice in the rocks and disappeared. While walking over the island the growling and grunting 
noises made by the birds is distinctly heard, and the entire ground appears to be alive with 
them. The representative of this bird in the North Atlantic, the Large-billed Puffin, breeds in 
small numbers about the northeast end of Siiitzbergen and on Nova Zemlya, which, with the 
record from Herald Island, forms the northernmost data we posesss concerning their distribution. 

LUNDA CIRRHATA Pall. 

(179.) Tufted Puffin. 

These birds are very common all along the Aleutian chain, and thence north to Bering Strait. 
They are, however, much less abundant in nearly every place than their relative, the Horned 
Puffin, which has the same distribution. A few of the present species were seen at Cape 
Thompson, on the Alaskan coast of the Arctic, July 19, but they were far more scarce than the 
other species. They were also seen oft' Cape Serdze Kamen the last of June, and again at East 
Cape the first of July. The same proportion was found to hold in Kotzebue Sound, so it is 
evident that this bird is a more southern species than its relative. 

PHALERIS PSITTACULA (Pall.) Temm. 

(180.) Parrot-billed Auk. 

These odd birds are very common in Bering Sea, from the Aleutian Islands north, breeding in 
great abundance upon the fur-seal group and all the other islands of this sea. They also swarm 
by thousands about the Diomedes and other islands of Bering Strait, besides along the Siberian 
shore, where, at Plover Bay, we found them in the greatest abundance. They were arlso seen off 
Cape Serdze Kamen on June 29, 1881. It rarely extends its range beyond the Straits, however. 
On August 26, while on an excursion to the head of Plover Bay, we secured quite a number of 
these birds, and in every case found them gorged with the small crustaceans which swarmed in 



116 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

the water there. They were extremely mimeroiis here, as well as all along this j)(>rtit)ii of the coast. 
Their oddly shajied liill is well adajtted for capturing the minute erustacea witli which the waters 
abound in this region, though it would not answer the iiurjiose for opening l»ivalves, as suggested 
by some of the older authors. Pearly in July it was found nesting upon the Diomede Islands, and 
its eggs were secured. It lays but a single one, which is white and about the size of that of a 
l)igeou. 

SIMORHYNCHUS CRISTATELLUS (Pall.) Meiroii. 

(181.) Crested Auk. 

Like the preceding species, this bird is extremely numerous in Bering Sea, l)ut like the latter 
prefers those portions of the sea in which the water is very <leep and cold. Hence along the 
Alaskan shore the birds are rare, but upon the Aleutian Islands and the fur-seal group, the 
Diomedes, in Bering Strait, and the Asiatic shore north through the Straits they are very numerous, 
swarming like bees around a hive over the steep rocky islands which are found in these waters. 
Several of these birds were seen in the vicinity of Herald Island during our visit there, but they 
appeared to be very rare, as compared with the (luillemots and Miirres. At Wrangel Island 
also, on August 11 and V2, others were, seen, but only Iwo or three individuals in all. 

SIMORHYNCHUS PYGM^US (Gmel.) Ridgw. 

(182.) Whiskered Aitk. 

These Inrds are found along the Aleutian chain, but arc not known from the islands to the 
north of that, and were not observed by us during the cruise of the Corwiu. The habits and 
distribution of this si)ecies are little known, and it did not fall under my observation during the 
time of my residence at Saint Michael's nor upon either of my visits to the Aleutian Islands. 

CICERONIA PUSILLA (Pall.) Ridgw. 

(183.) Least Auk. 

These birds are extremely abundant, breeding by millions along the Aleutian chain and upon 
all the other islands of Mering Sea, thencic north to Bering Strait, occurring rarely, however, upon 
the American mainland coast, but found very commonly along the Siberian shore. A i)air were 
seen August 15 oil' Icy Cape, on the Arctic coast of Alaska, which is the farthest northern record 
known of this small species. A few were seen off Cape Serdze Kameu ou June 29, 1881, and these 
two records are all we have of their presence in the Arctic. 

PTYCORHAMPHUS ALEUTICUS (Pall.) Brandt. 

(184.) Cassin's Auk. 

This is another species occurring ou the Aleutian Islands, which, iiowever, was not noted by 
us during the cruise of the Corwin, and whose range does not extend far, if any, into Bering Sea 
beyond the immediate vicinity of these islands. 

SYNTHLIBORHAMPHUS ANTIGUUS (Gm.) Coues. 

(185.) Black-throated Guillemot. 

This is also a species occurring in the Aleutian Islands, which did not lull under our notice, 
occurring, however, more or less commonly there. 

BRACHYRHAMPHUS MARMORATUS (Gm.) Brandt. 

(186.) Marbled Guillemot. 

This is an extremely abundant species throughout the Aleutian Islands, where it breeds and 
extends its range northward along the west coast of Bering Sea to Bering Strait. It was found 
very numerous during our visits to Plover Bay, and thence along the shore to the Straits; but 
was not observed to the north of this latter point. 



CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 117 

BRACHYRHAMPHtrS KITTLITZI Brandt 
(187.) KiTTLITZ'S (tUILLEMOT. 

This extioiiiel.v rare bird was observed by me at Unalaska in the spring of 1877, where I 
secured a single specimen in the breeding phimage. It was also taken towards the western end 
of this chain by Mr. Turner a few years later, and with these two specimens ends the known 
history of tiiis species on these islands up to the present date. 

TJRIAGRYLLE (Linn.) Brunn. 

(188.) Black Guillemot. 

These birds occur throughout Bering Sea and are numerous. They extend their range also 
well into the Arctic, reaching Herald and Wrangel Islands, and specimens were noted by the 
naturalist of the Jeannette, who records them in the vicinity of those islands, discovered during 
the explorations made by the people of that vessel. 

In that portion of the Arctic north of the Atlantic the Black (ruiliemot is found breeding 
north to 8(»o in some cases, although it is more numerous south of this. It was found nesting 
with Brunuich's Guillemot in longitude 113° east by Nordenskiold during his voyage. During 
the drift of the Jeannette it was seen passing to the westward on May 1, 1880, and at various 
other places was observed. Upon Bennett Island it was found nesting in great numbers the L'Oth 
of July, 1880. On April fi, 1881, it was found in about latitude 76°, longitude 161° east. During 
its resiihMic<> in these high latitudes it is reported to feed upon the small Arctic torn cod, wliirh 
the naturalist of the Jeannette reports to have seen the bird kill by beating them upon the wnter 
and shaking them in their bills. These birds were quite numerous at Herald Island. As we 
ap]>roached through the ice on the .30th of July flock after flock of them, joined with the Murre 
came ott' towards the Corwin. When we were making a landing large numbers of them were seen 
bringing tish, fi'om three to four indies in length, to their young, and as the waters snrrouiuling 
this island were seen to swarm with crustaceans, there appeared to be an abundance of food. 

URIA COLUMBA (Pall.) Cass. 

(18;>.) Pigeon Guillemot. 

This is the most abundant of the snuill Guillemots throughout the North, from the Aleutian 
Islands to those of Wrangel and Herald, where we found it breeding abundantly during our visit 
there on the Corwin. We found it near Cape Serdze Kamen, where it was nesting, and also in 
great abundance upon Herald Island, where it was perhaps the most abundant bird present, far 
outnumbering the Murre. It was also nesting nymu East Cape, the Diomede Islands, and along 
the entire portion of the Siberian coast wherever cliffs and mountainous slopes occurred fronting 
the sea. None was observed on the western portion of the New Siberian Islands by Norden. 
skiold, but the Chukchees reported it to him as wintering at Tapkau, wherever open water was 
found during that season. 

LOMVIA TROILE CALIFORNICA (Bryant) Coues. 

(190.) California Guillemot. 

These birds are found along the Pacific coast, reaching to the Aleutian Islands, beyond which 
it is uncertain how far their range extends. They were not observed by us during the cruise of the 
Corwin in the Arctic, although among the millions of Murres which breed upon the cliffs on the 
shores of this sea, both north and south of Bering Strait, it is very probable they may occur. 

LOMVI ARRA (Pall.) Bp. 

(191.) Thick-billed Guillemot. 

This bird occurs in greatest abundance throughout Bering Sea and the adjoining portions or 
the Arctic, reaching Herald and Wrangel Islands, where we found it breeding by thousands. 



118 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

The bird also occurs along both shores of Bering Sea in the greatest numbers wherever cliflfs afford 
proper nesting sites. At Cape Serdze Kauien, northwest of Bering Strait, we found it in large 
numbers just offshore, and again at East Cape on the rocky faces of the cliffs, as well as upon 
the islands in the middle of the Straits. It was rather scarce, however, among the islands in 
Kotzebue Sound. On July .'50, 1S81, as we drew near Herald Island on the Corwin this bird 
became more and more abundant, cinsling about us or alighting in small parties and singly among 
loose blocks of ice, sometimes standing upon the ice or sitting upright near its edge. Flocks 
came swinging about us in circles, apparently filled with curiosity at the strange apparition 
breaking in upon their quiet. As we drew still nearer myriads of Guillemots and these birds, 
with large numbers of the Kittiwake Gull, came swarming down from the clilis until the air was 
filled witli their moving forms, and occasionally the awkward shape of a Cormorant was seen as it 
passed back and forth and then returned again to its home among the ledges. 

On two occasions one of the Murres was seen perched upon the edge of an icecake a few 
yards iu diameter and staring at us intently until the bow of the vessel struck the opposite sides 
of its support, when the bird would ])lump into the water with ridiculous haste. 

As we climbed the steep faces of the island many of them dropped off their perches here and 
there and circled back and forth above our heads, uttering at the time a peculiar low growling 
note. The Guillemots had a flue piping note, which they also uttered during our ascent of the 
island. Both birds were extremely unsuspicious, and allowed us to pass within a few yards 
without showing any signs of fear. 

LOMVIA ARRA BRUNNICHI (Sch.) Ridgw. 

(192.) Brunnich's Guillemot. 

There is no record of this bird from Bering Sea, but it breeds on Spitzbergen and Nova 
Zemlya and islands of that region north to 80° at least. Nordenskiold found half-grown yonng on 
the Freobrao Islands, August 24, during his voyage. It was also seen by him east of Cape 
Cheljuskin. 

This bird, like the Black Guillemot, is reported by him as wintering iu the Arctic wherever 
open places occur during that season. 

The naturalist of the Jeannette observed it the first of May, 1880, as it was flying to the 
westward by their vessel, and it was seen again at various times during the drift of that vessel, 
and was breeding upon Bennett Island in greatest abundance. It is upon this last record that 
the bird is included within the present list, since we have no record of its occurrence nearer 
Bering Strait. 



LIST OF FISHES KNOWN TO OCCUR IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN NORTH OF BERING 

STRAIT. 

[Prepared for Capt. C. L. H(Xip(r, United States Revenue Marine, by Tarleton H. Bean,] 

The following list, based exclusively upon the collections of the United States National 
Museum, is incomplete; but the material upon which it is founded is in the Museum and 
constitutes a voucher for the names employed. Many other fishes certainly exist in this portion 
of the Arctic, but, as this does not profess to include all recorded species, it is unnecessary to 
compile additional names : 

1. Gasterosteus pungitius L. subsp. BRACHYPODA Bean. 

Elephant Point, Bscholtz Bay, September 2, 1880. Dall & Bean. 
Near Icy Cape, Arctic Ocean, August 25, 1880. T. H. Bean. 

2. Pleuroneotes stellatus Pallas. 

Anderson River, fide Prof. S. F. Baird. 

Hotham Inlet, Kotzebue Sound, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 



CEUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 119 

3. Pletjeonectes glacialis Pallas. 

Hothaiu Inlet, Kotzebue Sound, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 
Chamisso Island, Kotzebue Sound, September 2, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

4. BoBEOGADUS SAIDA (Lepoch.) Bean; 

Cape Lisburue, Arctic Ocean, August 21, 1880. Dall & Beau. 

Latitude 60° 45' north, longitude 166° 35' west, August 19, 1880. Hereudeeu & Bean. 

5. Gymnelis vikidis (Fabr.) Reiuliardt. 

I have identified a specimen of this species from the far north, but it does not belong to 
the collection. 

6. Lycodes coccineus Bean. 

Big Diomede Island, September 10, 1880. T. H. Bean. 

7. NOTOGRAMMUS ROTHEOCKII Beau. 

Cape Lisburne, August 21, 1880. Dall & Beau. 

8. LUJVIPENUS ANGUiLLARis (Pallas) Girard. 

Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, August 27, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

9. PODOTHECUS ACIPENSERINUS (Pallas) Gill. 

Cape Lisburne, Arctic Ocean, August 21, 1880. (No barbels.) Dall & Beau. 

10. CoTTUS T-s:niopterus Kiier. 

Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, August 27, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

11. CoTTUS HUMiLis Bean. 

Chamisso Island, Escholtz Bay, August 27, 1880. Dall & Bean. 
Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, August 27, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

12. Gymnacanthus pistilligee (Pallas) Gill. 

Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, August 27, 18S0. Dall & Bean. 

13. Gymnacanthus gai,eatus Beau. 

Ofl'Cape Sabine, Arctic Ocean, August 24, 1880. D;ill & Bean. 

14. Ammodytes americanus De Kay. 

Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, Augiist 27, 1880. Dall & Beau. 

15. OSMEEUS SPIEINCUS Pallas. 

Kotzebue Sound, September 2, 1880. E. P. Herendeen. 

I am not certain that this species is distinct from O. dentex Steind. 

16. MAiLOTUS VILLOSUS (Miiller) Cuy. 

Bering Strait. Wm. Simjison. 

Cape Lisburne, Arctic Ocean, August 21, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

Point Belcher, Arctic Ocean, August 27, 1880. Dall & Bean. 

17. CoREGONUS LAURETTA Bean. 

Point Barrow, Arctic Ocean, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 

18. COREGONUS MEECKII Var. 

Hotham Inlet, Kotzebue Sound, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 

19. Salvelinus malma (Walb.) Jordan & Gilbert. 

Hotham Inlet, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 
Hotham Inlet, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 
Hotham Inlet, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 
OapB Lisburne, Arctic Ocean, August 21, 1880. Dall & Bean. 



120 CRUISE OF STEAIVIEK CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 

20. Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walb.) Gill & Jordan. 

Colville Biyer, fide Capt. E. E. Smith. Abuiulaut iu Plover Bay. 

21. Oncorhynchus keta (Walb.) Gill & Jordan. 

Bering Strait, 1880. D. S. Jordan. 

Hotham Inlet, Kotzebue Sound, 1880. Capt. C. L. Hooper. 

It may be not out of place to name the following common species which i)roi)erly l)el(.iig to 
the fauna : 

Stich^us punctatus (Fabr.) Reiuhardt. 
LiPARIS Sp. 

EuMiCROTREMUS SPiNOSUS (Fabr.) Gill. 
Triglops pingelu Reinhardt. 
IcELUS NAMATUS Kioyer. 

COREGONUS QUADRILATERALIS Rich. 

Thymallus signiper (Rich.) C. & V. Var. 
Clupea miribalis Girard. Siguifer. 

SOMMOSUS MICROCEPTALUS (Block) Gill. 

United States National Museum, Washington, June 28, 1882. 




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